CREDIT: GEORGE VARKEY
Mathew Pierce, a first-year Culinary Skills student, checks out his textbook in ebook format on an iPad.

To buy or not to buy, that is the question Jasmine Grewal, a Corporate Communication and Public Relations student at Fanshawe, asks herself whenever she comes across an ebook version of her text. While the prospect of carrying a 1,000-page, 2-kg textbook version on her mobile device makes ebooks appealing to her, the fact that the electronic version isn't easy to scribble notes on has so far prevented Grewal from investing in ebooks.

"One thing I found so cool in Canada is that professors have no qualms about students using electronic version of textbooks and their only demand is to have whatever copy available to be present while in class," she said. "But then, while I can draw figures, make quick notes on a textbook, the ebook version provides no chance for such freedoms, and I'd have to carry another notebook for that. Since I like the paper feeling and though many are available (ebooks) online for free, I prefer buying the text version."

The wide range of ebook readers and tablets available on market, as well as the huge success of smartphones, has helped to increase ebooks' sales. Recently Cambridge University Press came out with an interactive app that encompasses works of Shakespeare like Romeo and Juliet. The audio-cum-text application available for Apple users is targeted toward students, and experts in the field say that by incorporating two technologies — voice and text — into one, the academic app will catch users' imaginations, leading to a better study experience.

With such advances in the academic field, students are encouraged to take full advantage of these resources, said Donna Sevenpifer, a member of the Research and Data Services team at the Fanshawe Library. She said there are many e-resources available through the Library website, "and we're trying very hard to promote them and make students aware of them."

"One thing I notice is that, when I tell students that we have a large collection of e-resources on the library website, the reaction is one of excitement. Most of them are learning about such resources for the first time and immediately want to access them," she said. "Because of this, we are adding to our e-resource collection all the time."

Mathew Pierce, a Culinary Skills student at Fanshawe, is a fan of ebooks due to them being lightweight and eco-friendly. "I have bought books for personal use, but never for studies," he said. "If online sources could provide me with more books, then I am going for it." he said. Like Grewal and many others, he was unaware of the ebook resources available on the Library website, but said he'd like to give it a shot.

Sevenpifer said the Library's databases are still underused, which she attributed to the fact that the transition from print to electronic format is an ongoing process. "Sometimes the student simply prefers to read a 'real' book or article in print rather than an electronic copy," she explained. Other students may not know how to search for electronic/digital resources as effectively as possible. "Students can come to the library and we'll show them all the e-resources we have and ways to access them," she said.

HOW TO ACCESS EBOOK THROUGH THE FANSHAWE LIBRARY

1. Go to www.fanshawec.libguides.com/fanshawelibrary.

2. Select the eJournals/eBooks tab in the Search the Library box.

3. Use the search bar to find the resources you need.