FreePint Research Illustrates Dramatic Growth in Corporate Use of Ebooks
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By Elizabeth Trudell, Helen Josephine

Abstract

Researchers Libby Trudell and Helen Josephine report on the results of a recent FreePint survey into the use of ebooks in the enterprise. The report looks at: penetration and growth estimates for ebooks by industry segment, which ebook providers are being used in enterprise settings, characteristics of licensing and purchase options in enterprise settings, and success factors for ebook deployment. The research shows increasing penetration of ebooks in enterprise settings, but clear differences by market sector.

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The results of the recent FreePint survey on use of ebooks in corporate settings demonstrate that ebook adoption is increasing dramatically in enterprises after many years of lagging. 

Dramatic Growth Set to Continue

Overall penetration of ebooks in enterprise settings is now approaching 80%, FreePint research illustrates, with a strong appetite for this growth to continue over the next two years. For comparison, 95% of US academic libraries (PDF) include ebooks as a service offering and have done for the past three years.

In manufacturing and biotech/pharmaceutical industries respondents reported adoption rates of 91%, with legal services 73% and professional services 60%.

35% of respondents reported that use had increased significantly in the last two years. 40% of respondents expect there to be significant usage growth over the next two years, with less than 3% predicting any decrease.

Benefits of Ebooks

Information professionals and end-users alike are benefiting from the improved access to content for global user communities which ebooks offer. Free-form comments from research participants included:

"Global ebooks are critical for global corporations, allowing quick, just-in-time access to critical information worldwide"

"All employees [at our offices across the world] should have access to the same content"

"Reducing print redundancy in our 25 regional libraries"

At the same time, respondents express concerns about how to manage ebooks as part of their collections, particularly the wide variation in options and licensing terms, many of which seem better suited to academic or public library environments.

Mobile Access to Knowledge

The proliferation of multiple smart devices has undoubtedly fuelled ebook adoption, allowing information to be accessed from the user's own device, from a fixed point PC or other corporate device.

However, interestingly respondents reported that the most-used device for accessing ebooks is the desktop computer, with 90% of respondents making this option available, followed by end users' own device at 53%.

Find Out More, Attend Our Webinar

Presented by FreePint's director of research, Robin Neidorf, with researchers Libby Trudell and Helen Josephine, the webinar "Corporate Market for Ebooks: A Look at the Research" on 30th July offers the opportunity to hear the highlights from our original research as well as providing research-based insight to support your development of the right answers.

Webinars are an included benefit of a FreePint Subscription. "Taster" access can be arranged for professionals considering a subscription.

Find Out More, Read the Full Report

189 respondents participated in the research during January and February this year. The full findings including a look at the key vendors of ebooks in the enterprise, licensing considerations, success factors and strategy, are now available to subscribers in FreePint Report: Ebook Research 2015.

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