Print or Digital? Both have their Place in Library Collections

Technology from Sage’s Library Patron Consultant, Matthew Weldon, shares his thoughts on the wealth of accessible resources currently available to researchers and the need for affordable course materials.

I vividly remember, just a few weeks into my first year of university and working on my first proper assignment, standing in the library opposite a fearsome bookshelf stacked with everything from contemporary textbooks to leatherbound hardbacks from decades prior. I realized that this bookshelf held more information than I’d ever be able to get through. And there were at least a dozen of those bookshelves on that floor. And there were at least a dozen such floors in the library. And that’s just one library.

Often when people talk about why they love books and libraries, they mention the smell of the books or the texture of the sepia paper. For me it’s the scale of libraries, the way they’re visibly brimming with stuff to lose yourself in, that gives libraries their particular allure.

There is a lot of misinformation about the way eBooks and online articles have supplanted the more tangible things we love about libraries, and the dwindling importance of the physical collection. Claims which are inaccurate! There are plenty of reasons that physical collections remain relevant to the academic library today. In a blog post for Times Higher Education[1], Caroline Ball highlights that online resources essentially only exist for as long as publishers allow them to, and that access can simply disappear for a number of reasons – a publisher going out of business for example, or a library’s subscription lapsing and their access being removed, or anything in between. A physical book meanwhile can live on the shelf essentially indefinitely, a permanent addition to a library’s accumulated knowledge, with a one-off cost – empowering librarians to act confidently as long-term custodians of knowledge for patrons.

As for students, data from several studies seem to suggest they don’t want to have to choose between either a physical or digital collection – they want both. It’s far easier to carry an ePUB file to and from campus on your phone than it is to cram a textbook into your pocket, and digital resources can be easily customized to meet individual accessibility needs. Research from a 2023 Course Materials Survey from Illinois on student perspectives[2] found that if cost were no object 40% of students would choose print resources, compared to 20% preferring digital.

But there’s some evidence to suggest that student comprehension is higher when reading from physical rather than digital texts. I know from my own experience that, when I have a serious piece of research to do, I find it far easier to extract key information when I have a printed copy of a resource in front of me and a bundle of post-it notes. Plus, you can’t download Instagram or TikTok on a book – so you’re less likely to get sidetracked!

And as accessible as digital resources can be, Caroline Ball also emphasizes that physical resources have an important access and accessibility role for many too. Digital-only resources require some sort of equipment to read them, whether that’s a phone, tablet, or laptop. They also require an internet connection to download them, and potentially a constant internet connection for DRM purposes. These are not guaranteed and, by assuming they are, digital-only provision might exacerbate educational inequalities. Physical conditions like eye strain and screen fatigue are common accessibility concerns and physical resources can be important for those individuals affected.

So, it’s not that physical is better than digital or vice versa – it’s that they have different affordances, and both have a place in the library collection. Fortunately, Ithaka S+R’s most recent Library Survey[3] seems to suggest that, although many see an increasing role for digital resources, physical collections are not going anywhere – just 9% of respondents reported believing that digital collections would make hardcopy books obsolete in the next five years. And in the ACRL’s recently released report “The State of U.S. Academic Libraries” [4], they flagged that just under half of the reported collections were physical. The perceived importance of physical collections therefore remains high, but according to that same study circulation rates for physical items have dropped to their lowest level in a decade. To address the falling use of essential resources, we’ve taken steps to support libraries in bringing their print collections into the patron workflow.

With the new Print Alternatives feature, Lean Library will flag physical items in the collection to patrons researching online. Patrons will now be able to see whether a physical version of a resource is available and on the shelves in the library without leaving the site they are on, enhancing the patron experience and increasing the circulation of your valuable print resources. It’s just one of the ways we aim to help libraries maximize their return on investment of their collections and bring the entirety of the library into the patron workflow.

Want to Learn More?

If you’d like to find out more about how Lean Library’s new Print Alternatives feature can maximize usage and impact of library collections, Request a demo now!