E-books in the Czech Republic: Analysis of demand and readers’ behaviour

Abstract

Currently, there is a more frequent replacement of books by e-books, which have become an increasingly viable format and make it easier for readers to read books in a variety of places. Public libraries therefore focus more often on the provision of e-books as one of the components of their digital services. However, these services do not always meet with an adequate demand from readers due to several factors, such as service charges or a lack of awareness. Therefore, in this article, the authors focus on the demand side, represented by e-book readers. Specifically, they focus on the Municipal Library of Prague’s e-book readers’ behaviour and propose a three-step research model. It consists of analyses focusing on: (1) the specifics of the Municipal Library of Prague’s e-book readers; (2) e-book readers’ interest in borrowing e-books; and (3) e-book readers’ interest in the Municipal Library of Prague’s e-service when they must pay a fee. As a data source, the authors use unique data from an online questionnaire survey among readers of the Municipal Library of Prague in 2019 by the Sociores agency. The results show that science fiction and fantasy readers represent the most significant group of e-book readers at the Municipal Library of Prague, and that Facebook is the most significant channel for communication with e-book readers. The authors also confirm the importance of e-book readers and smartphones as devices that significantly affect readers’ decision to read e-books. In the final part of the article, the authors propose some practical recommendations that could attract more e-book readers.

Keywords

Library e-book reader behaviour willingness to pay survey

Introduction

The irreplaceable importance of public libraries for both society and individual citizens has been underlined for decades in developed countries around the world (Hartley, 2005). The original definition and characteristics of library services have always been based on current consumer needs and the socio-economic situation of the economy (Anand, 2004; Meričková et al., 2020). The consumer-reader is the first person who decides, on the basis of their individual preferences, the scope and content of library services. Digital services, including access to e-books, databases and web applications, are part of these library services. In the last two decades, there has been a huge development of digital services, which is clearly related to the development of information and communications technologies (ICTs). This creates pressure from consumer-readers to offer not only new services and forms, but also new ways of providing services in public libraries (Worstall, 2014).

In connection with these changes, researchers must also deal with the analysis of demand and readers’ behaviour. The results of such studies can be used by library management to respond and design the portfolio of public library services. These changes are already taking place around the world and, from their original passive ‘invisible mediator’ role, libraries are becoming active providers of information – information stores or information education centres. They are also working much more actively with information in electronic forms, providing a wider range of digital services (Brophy, 2008). It should be noted that these changes are occurring without a significant change in their budgets.

Due to the mostly unchanging public library budgets, it is necessary to look for new ways to make the content of library collections accessible in a digital and virtual way. One of the ways is a wider offering of electronic books (e-books), as well as the digitisation of written materials (d-books or d-contents). In practice, however, there are often managerial decisions that respond to changes in the budget but are not confronted with the needs and wishes of customers (Volejníková and Kuba, 2020). Logically, there is often a mismatch between the expectations of customers (readers) and the real offering of the library, and thus an inefficient allocation of public funds (Halásková et al., 2020; Vrabková, 2017).

A good example of practical problem is the constant debate over the ‘rivalry’ between e-books and paper books (e.g. Ashcroft, 2011; Rao et al., 2018). It shows that e-books and various other digital services have been included in the normal library service portfolio and are offered as standard. However, for a library customer, an e-book is often just a supplement, and their expectations may be disappointed if they do not find a book in the format they want.

The same discussions are taking place in the Czech Republic, which is known for having the densest library network in the world. In library practice, there are serious discussions about the relevance of the public budgets of libraries and the range of services provided. The Ministry of Culture in the Czech Republic is putting pressure on increasing the number of e-books in individual libraries. It even supports subsidies for the commercial expansion of e-book offerings (libraries pay firms to supply e-books). However, there has been no serious scientific research on consumer behaviour, e-book readers’ demands and conclusions that may justify the ministry’s efforts or validate libraries seeking a more moderate approach to e-book offerings. This is why this article is being written. It aims to contribute to this debate with scientific data and recommendations that are supported by relevant evidence. The contribution of this article is therefore not only its practical applicability; it also contributes to the expansion of knowledge about the Czech library market and of theoretical knowledge in the field of research methodology analysis of demand and reader behaviour in public libraries.

The next sections focus on a literature review and the methodology employed for the empirical analysis. An analysis and discussion of the data will follow. The final section of the article delineates the conclusion and recommendation for library managements.

Literature review

In the past 20 years, the offering of electronic materials and e-books in public libraries has been developed by gradually expanding ICTs. E-services are just another version of the same service – that is, paper books are converted into an electronic format.¹ In parallel with ICT developments, readers’ habits have changed, and public libraries have had to respond. Libraries’ offerings were not extended but were modified by another form of consumption. Littman and Connaway (2004) report that e-books have a number of benefits for readers and the library: e-books are available 24/7; readers can access the books at any time without going to the library (using the presence services); readers can search full texts or use the text and images; e-books require no storage space; and there is no need to repair or manipulate e-books. Certainly, there are some disadvantages associated with offering e-books, in particular the issue of protection and use of copyright, the protection of free copying or securing a limited e-book loan period.

There are a number of studies that deal with e-books, especially in two discussion areas. The first is devoted to consumer preferences and contributes to the discussion of whether e-books will replace paper books. Merga (2015) looks at evaluations of research to determine whether e-books are preferred by adolescents. He shows that there is no relevant research to unequivocally confirm this hypothesis. This conclusion must be examined by further research because it is obvious that the situation in society, citizens’ preferences and the speed of ICT developments are changing significantly. All of these factors determine the willingness to use more electronic devices (tablets or smartphones, for example) or read e-books. This justifies many studies dealing with the issue of paper books being substituted by e-books.

The second discussion area is devoted to the use of e-books. Most of the relevant studies perceive them as an interesting and beneficial element in the educational process. Hibbard (2014), in his study, examines whether e-books can replace paper textbooks in the educational process in schools. The results show that this alternative is possible and beneficial in school, but when working at home the substitution is more difficult because of technical obstacles (children do not have suitable or compatible technical equipment at home). The fundamental relationship between willingness to read e-books and ownership of technical equipment (book readers) and Gibson and Gibb (2011). Girard (2014) adds that the readiness to read e-books is also influenced by social and cultural factors. Girard describes the statements of respondents who had a very strong relationship with paper books. These respondents perceived reading an e-book as a betrayal of paper books, misappropriate their education and upbringing.

Walton (2008) adds that, especially in Europe, the process of accepting e-books in the general population will be very slow. Researchers recommend that consumer preferences and the perceived social and cultural barriers in individual countries (nations) must be explored. This conclusion is supported by statistics on the development of the number of e-readers. According to data from PubTrack Digital, the e-book market in 2017 reached 10%. Moreover, these figures followed on from the previous year, when the decline was even greater. According to the research, the price behind the world turbulence is absolutely crucial for the reader. In 2015, there was a general price increase in this area.

In some countries, however, the results are slightly different, and more positive. For example, research conducted in Germany suggests that e-book readers have an above-average level of education; two-thirds of them are under the age of 50; and about half have an absolute preference for e-books (and do not buy paper books). The popularity of e-books in Germany is gradually increasing, putting pressure on e-book producers, which are, in turn, putting pressure on political representation and demanding improved licensing of their works. The same trend is also shown in the reports of the Association of Booksellers and Publishers in the Czech Republic. Its statistics confirm the growing popularity of e-books among Czech readers. Year-on-year, the number of e-books sold has increased by 14%. However, at 135 million copies, they still occupy only 1.5% of the total 8 billion book turnover. By December 2017, Czechs could choose from 20,000 e-books from 300 publishers. Czech readers had bought 1 million e-books and the number of e-book loans had increased by 116% (Annual Report of the Union of Czech Booksellers and Publishers, 2017–2018). However, the study also suggests that Czech readers enjoy e-borrowing and reading e-books, but do not like to pay for this service. Therefore, the Czech Republic applies a public policy of e-book support by subsidising the creation of e-books annually (to a lesser extent) from the national budget and financing the purchase of e-books from commercial suppliers, which provide them to libraries every year. However, each library must pay for a license, and the results of Stejskal and Hájek’s (2015) and Hájek and Stejskal’s (2015) studies prove that the self-production of e-books by a library is far more efficient (the purchase costs are significantly lower than the subsidy for a book provided by the state).

However, not enough empirical studies have been conducted to explain why different consumer behaviour occurs with e-books and other e-materials in the Czech Republic. Therefore, the aim of this article is to focus on: (1) the specifics of e-book readers at the Municipal Library of Prague; (2) e-book readers’ interest in borrowing e-books; and (3) e-book readers’ behaviour in the event that these services are not free.

Data and methodology

The research methodology stems from many years of research into consumer behaviour in public libraries. This project was implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

To obtain primary data, a sociological survey questionnaire was used. It was processed by the sociological agency Sociores based on the assignment of the research team. It included sociologists, economists, information science experts and librarians. Researchers determined the research goal and research questions, and chose the appropriate tools and procedures.

The questions in the questionnaire were defined for individual research questions (see below). They were designed to best describe the problem being solved. In order to ensure that the respondents understood the questions correctly, a multistage control consisting of pilot testing was used. Once the pilot testing of the questions had provided a high degree of certainty, the agency launched the sociological survey.

The questionnaire was distributed to registered readers at the Municipal Library of Prague. This is the largest public library in the Czech Republic and has a database of all its readers and their emails. With the help of random selection, an email with an explanation, request and questionnaire was sent to each selected reader (aged 15+). The computer-aided web interviewing system was used. As soon as the reader had completed the answers and returned them, they received an email thanking them for participating in the sociological survey. The return rate of the questionnaires was the same as in other surveys – around 20%. The survey information is presented in Table 1.

Table 1.

Survey information.

Survey type	Quantitative
Sample size	N = 1334 (readers at the Municipal Library of Prague aged 15+)
Data collection method	Online survey (computer-aided web interviewing)
Selection method	Random selection of readers at the Municipal Library of Prague aged 15+
Response rate	17%
Average time spent filling in the questionnaire	9 minutes, 12 seconds
Date of data collection	2019

Information about the sample is shown in Table 2.

Table 2.

Socio-economic information of the target group.

		Target group (%)(N = 1334)	Readers from the target group who have read at least one e-book (%)(N = 423)
Gender	Female	1021 (76.54)	307 (72.57)
	Male	288 (21.59)	109 (25.76)
	No answer	25 (1.87)	7 (1.67)
Highest level of education	Elementary school	44 (3.30)	22 (5.20)
	Secondary school (including apprenticeship)	46 (3.45)	9 (2.13)
	Full secondary with graduation, higher vocational	482 (36.13)	133 (31.44)
	University	742 (55.62)	254 (60.05)
	No answer	20 (1.50)	5 (1.18)
Economic situation	Economically active	786 (58.92)	256 (60.52)
	Pensioner	233 (17.47)	38 (8.98)
	Student	176 (13.19)	90 (21.28)
	Housewife, maternity leave	80 (6.00)	27 (6.38)
	Unemployed	15 (1.12)	6 (1.42)
	Other	28 (2.10)	2 (0.47)
	No answer	16 (1.20)	4 (0.95)
Household’s net monthly income (Czech koruna)	Less than 15,000	73 (5.47)	12 (2.84)
Household’s net monthly income (Czech koruna)	15,000–29,999	252 (18.89)	70 (16.55)
	30,000–44,999	302 (22.64)	102 (24.11)
	45,000–59,999	227 (17.02)	78 (18.44)
	60,000–74,999	106 (7.95)	40 (9.46)
	75,000+	102 (7.65)	45 (10.63)
	No answer	272 (20.39)	76 (17.97)

Note: 1 euro = 25 Czech koruna.

Before analysing the data, it was cleaned of the unfinished questionnaires and the quality of the data was checked (remote extreme values were discarded). When the selected variables (questions) are binary, logistic regression analysis is commonly used to study the relationship between the set of explanatory variables (selected questions – independent variables) and the discrete responses (dependent variables). The discrete binary response of an individual unit can take only two values, denoted by 0 or 1 (Prokop and Stejskal, 2019). The empirical analysis was performed using binary logistic regression models (for more, see Prokop et al., 2019).

To fulfil the aim of this article, we proposed a three-step research model including three research questions (representing dependent variables) from the questionnaire. First, we analysed whether the respondents had read, studied or downloaded an e-book in the previous 12 months by using question Q1 – Have you read, studied or downloaded an e-book in the last 12 months? – and analysed factors (variables Q4, Q5 and Q6) that influenced the respondents’ willingness to read, study or download an e-book.

Second, we analysed the respondents’ willingness to use new library services by using question Q2 – The Municipal Library of Prague is considering introducing a new service – ‘e-book lending’ – i.e. the possibility to read an e-book through the application and for a limited period of time. This would mainly be book novelties by contemporary Czech and world authors. Would you be interested in such a service? – and analysed factors (variables Q4 and Q5) that influenced these respondents’ decisions.

Third, we analysed whether the respondents would be interested in the new library service (Q2) if it was a paid service, by using question Q3 – Would you also be interested in such a service if it was a paid service? – and analysed factors (variables Q4, Q5 and Q7) that influenced these respondents’ decisions.

For the purpose of this study, we selected the following questions as independent (explanatory) variables:

Q4. Do you use any of the following devices that can be used to read e-books (smartphone; tablet; laptop/computer; e-book reader)? (EQUIP)

Q5. Please select a maximum of five genres of interest from the e-book genres (poetry; drama; beletry – Czech and world novels; beletry – novels for women; beletry – historical novels; beletry – books for children; beletry – detective novels; beletry – humour; beletry – science fiction and fantasy; professional literature – facts; professional literature – travelogues; professional literature – the fates of the famous). (GENRES)

Q6. The library can inform you about new e-books in various ways. What would you prefer (email; edition plan once a year by email; library website; library Facebook page; library noticeboard; printed edition plan in the library; through librarians)? (INFORM)

Q7. Which of the following options describe your reasons for downloading e-books from the Municipal Library of Prague (school reading/recommended literature – e.g. for graduation; professional and study literature – e.g. research/citation source; relaxation/fun/reading for pleasure; reading to/for children; work duties and tasks – e.g. employee or entrepreneur)? (REASONS)

Results and discussion

In accordance with the research design, the activities and results were divided into three groups. The first task was to map the preferences of the e-book readers. The aim was to identify the specifics of those who preferred/read e-books (irrespective of the source of the e-books they read). It should be remembered that the source of the e-books was not the subject of the research, nor was the cost of purchase or the way they were secured. The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3.

The readers of e-books.

Group	Variable	p	β
EQUIP	Smartphone	.098*	.305
	Tablet	.424	.146
	Laptop/computer	.117	−.277
	E-book reader	.000***	0.786
GENRES	Poetry	.028**	.689
	Drama	.667	.093
	Beletry – Czech and world novels	.603	−.090
	Beletry – novels for women	.181	−.313
	Beletry – historical novels	.030**	−.410
	Beletry – books for children	.477	.160
	Beletry – detective novels	.930	−.015
	Beletry – humour	.856	−.033
	Beletry – science fiction and fantasy	.000***	.699
	Professional literature – facts	.464	.129
	Professional literature – travelogues	.610	−.095
	Professional literature – the fates of the famous	.019**	−.511
INFORM	Email	.719	−.066
	Edition plan once a year by email	.657	−.083
	Library website	.082*	.313
	Library Facebook page	.001***	.790
	Library noticeboard	.499	.197
	Printed edition plan in the library	.096*	.445
	Through librarians	.567	.185
Cox and Snell R ²			.212
Nagelkerke R ²			.283

* significant at p < .10; **significant at p < .05; ***significant at p < .01

The results in Table 3 show that readers at the Municipal Library of Prague preferred to use e-book readers and, secondly, smartphones. However, the level of significance suggests the preponderance of e-book readers. Even the insignificant results may suggest that the readers were deviating from laptop/computer reading.

Most of the respondents only selected e-book genres. The interesting result is that science fiction and fantasy book readers clearly preferred e-reading to paper-book reading. It is probably connected with the topics of technology and science fiction. In our opinion, it can be explained by the statement that science fiction fans also prefer modern technical elements, such as new technologies and ICT, in their daily lives. The other readers who preferred e-books were lovers of historical novels and poetry. This can be justified in particular by the size (i.e. weight) and portability of historical books – when reading while travelling, for example, the reader of a historical e-novel will be more comfortable. No significant results were found in the other genres. It is therefore clear that the genre (with some exceptions) is not an essential determinant of e-reading.

Even the information sources used by the readers indicate their preference for technical news and the use of social networks. The readers of e-books preferred communication via Facebook. Other sources of information are insignificant.

From the results, it can be implied that for library management, e-book readers represent a specific group who prefer new ICTs and are willing to communicate with the library with new technologies and social networks, as well as expecting that the library will communicate with them in this way too. The results also show which genres libraries should offer if they want to increase the share of e-reading among their readers.

The second part of the research dealt with the analysis of the readers’ interest in borrowing e-books (a special library service). The e-book readers preferred (under the current conditions – i.e. for the Municipal Library of Prague an annual library entry fee of 50 Czech koruna) reading e-books on e-book readers or smartphones. This preference concurs with the results of the first part of the research.

As for the availability of e-books in the library pool, they welcomed most of the genres that were on offer. There was little interest in children’s books, where e-reading is problematic due to the technical equipment required and the format of the books, or in novels for women. The detailed results are shown in Table 4.

Table 4.

Interest in e-book loans.

Group	Variable	p	β
EQUIP	Smartphone	.001***	.601
	Tablet	.084*	.327
	Laptop/computer	.398	−.147
	E-book reader	.000***	.991
GENRES	Poetry	.137	−.460
	Drama	.006***	.701
	Beletry – Czech and world novels	.007***	.450
	Beletry – novels for women	.376	.213
	Beletry – historical novels	.040**	.397
	Beletry – books for children	.283	.259
	Beletry – detective novels	.007***	.475
	Beletry – humour	.004***	.553
	Beletry – science fiction and fantasy	.081*	.327
	Professional literature – facts	.004***	.504
	Professional literature – travelogues	.871	−.030
	Professional literature – the fates of the famous	.847	.042
Cox and Snell R ²			.125
Nagelkerke R ²			.179

* significant at p < .10; **significant at p < .05; ***significant at p < .01

Therefore, it is clear that the research confirms that readers are willing to read e-books more widely if they are provided free of charge by a public library. The readers probably realise that legal e-books are more accessible through libraries. This conclusion supports the general interest in e-books in the Czech Republic.

The third part of the research concerned a situation where the respondents would be required to pay a special fee for an e-book loan. It should be recalled that readers at the Municipal Library of Prague can access all services, including all of the available paper books and e-books, for 50 Czech koruna per year. The results in Table 5 show that the readers were not willing to pay for e-books at all. This is an absolutely proven result, since no significant results were found in any of the categories or genres.

Table 5.

Readers’ behaviour when services are not free of charge.

Group	Variable	p	β
EQUIP	Smartphone	.518	.303
	Tablet	.858	.084
	Laptop/computer	.799	−.111
	E-book reader	.001***	0,556
GENRES	Poetry	.442	.509
	Drama	.750	−.163
	Beletry – Czech and world novels	.858	−.077
	Beletry – novels for women	.109	−.909
	Beletry – historical novels	.708	−.176
	Beletry – books for children	.190	−.831
	Beletry – detective novels	.596	.231
	Beletry – humour	.705	.172
	Beletry – science fiction and fantasy	.815	−.100
	Professional literature – facts	.907	.052
	Professional literature – travelogues	.750	.170
	Professional literature – the fates of the famous	.308	.610
REASONS	School reading – recommended literature	.062*	−.834
	Professional and study literature	.077*	.920
	Relaxation, fun, reading for pleasure	.510	.310
	Reading to/for children	.023**	0,045
	Work duties and tasks	.251	−.978
Cox and Snell R ²			.212
Nagelkerke R ²			.286

* significant at p < .10; **significant at p < .05; ***significant at p < .01

This negative outcome from the research is probably related to the fact that readers at the Municipal Library of Prague do not have to pay any fees for services and so the respondents did not feel any willingness to pay for something they still had for free. Moreover, the general mood in Czech society is that readers should pay nothing for public library services.

We questioned those respondents who said they would be willing to pay for e-book loans from a public library. The results are shown in Table 6.

Table 6.

Willingness to pay each month for borrowing an e-book.

What would you be most willing to pay for borrowing one e-book for one month?	Amount (Czech koruna)
Number of respondents willing to pay	392 (29.38%)
Average	29.01
Minimum	1
Quartile Q1	20
Median	20
Quartile Q3	40
Maximum	200

Source: Authors’ own research.

The results confirm the unwillingness of readers to pay for e-books. The median value corresponds to approximately one euro per month for one e-book. When comparing the findings with the willingness to pay for paper books, it has been found that respondents would rather pay for paper books than e-books (Himma and Just, 2007). Willingness in this study is derived from a specific sample of e-book readers (younger people who are able to work with ICT, communicate on social networks, and regard free e-materials as a standard part of their everyday life). There is also the free-of-charge policy of libraries, as well as the easy availability of free e-books and materials on the Internet (the grey economy).

Conclusions

In the last years, we have seen rapid changes in publishing thanks to the growing interest in e-books. This has been caused by, among other things, the emergence of personal digital assistants as practical reading devices. Therefore, e-books are nowadays becoming an increasingly viable format (Landoni and Hanlon, 2007) that will make it easier for readers to read books in a variety of places, while also facilitating access to interesting books. Most libraries, including academic libraries, have included e-books in their collections (Tri-Agif et al., 2016). It has meant that e-books are able to provide readers and researchers with access to information at the time and location of their (research) need. For these reasons, electronic books have become a significant part of publishers’ revenue streams (Bailey et al., 2015). In this article, we have focused on the demand side – specifically, e-book readers at the Municipal Library of Prague. We created three statistical models to explain e-book readers’ behaviour. First, we analysed the preferences of e-book readers – in particular, the specifics of those who had preferred (or read) e-books in the previous 12 months. Subsequently, we analysed the readers’ interest in borrowing e-books through the Municipal Library of Prague’s new service. In the last part of our analysis, we focused on the question of whether the respondents would be interested in the new library service if it was a paid service, and on the factors that influenced these respondents’ decisions.

Our results confirm the importance of e-book readers and smartphones as devices that significantly affect readers’ decisions to read e-books. Other (large and less portable) devices are not important for readers. This is in accordance with other studies (e.g. Ahmad and Brogan, 2016) which also show that readers’ experience rests on the device on which the e-book is read. MacWilliam (2013) states that the experience must be harmonious between book and cover, and that the reading experience will be augmented if both the device and the contents can engage the reader on functional, material and emotional levels, as well as cognitive or experiential levels. Facebook, as a communication platform, represents a significant source of information for current and potential e-book readers. To attract more e-book readers (not only science fiction and fantasy readers, who represented the most significant group of e-book readers), it is necessary to focus on other social networks and communication platforms where marketers progressively promote their brands among youth (Duffett, 2017). These platforms include Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram. A library, for example, could pay to advertise on these platforms, create its own account, pay for a collaboration with a known influencer, or create its own free mobile application to provide readers with information about new e-books and e-book loans.

We have also confirmed readers’ willingness to read e-books more widely if they are provided free of charge by a public library. Readers probably realise that legal e-books are more accessible through libraries. This conclusion supports the general interest in e-books in the Czech Republic. The Municipal Library of Prague should therefore provide this service (for free) because it could attract potential new readers and avoid the initial problem that discourages some people from reading – that is, the cost of reading. We suggest a further potential solution (similar to a music platform) where readers could pay either a monthly fee for unlimited access to e-books or a symbolic amount for a particular e-book. We also suggest discounts for students because our results show the low willingness of students to pay for e-books (the negative results). According to Roesnita and Zainab (2013), undergraduates, both users and non-users of e-books, prefer nowadays to use printed version of textbooks, especially if the text is being used continuously. Moreover, Noorhidawati and Gibb (2008) state that students’ most frequent reason for using e-books was to find relevant content, which indicated that e-books were not read in their entirety but instead consulted or used for reference purposes. However, the Municipal Library of Prague should focus on this group because the majority of readers have a university degree or are educated to the full secondary with graduation and/or higher vocational level (see Table 2). Therefore, students represent other potential e-book readers who might change their minds in the future and be willing to pay for e-book loans.

The small sample size and the factors selected may represent possible limitations of this research. Therefore, for future research, we plan to conduct a broader analysis covering other libraries in the Czech Republic and other significant factors influencing readers’ behaviour. Moreover, we plan to focus on different groups of e-book readers and to identify the typical readers of each group (e.g. according to their willingness to pay for new library services) and the factors that influence readers’ decision-making, so that we can suggest further practical implications.

Footnotes

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iD

Jan Stejskal

Note

References

Ahmad

Brogan

(2016) E-book user behaviour in academic libraries: The role of user agents in perception and satisfaction. Malaysian Journal of Library and Information Science 21(3): 95–109.

Anand

(2004) Financing the provision of global public goods. World Economy 27(2): 215–237.

Ashcroft

(2011) Ebooks in libraries: An overview of the current situation. Library Management 32(6–7): 398–407.

Bailey

Scott

Best

(2015) Cost differentials between e-books and print in academic libraries. College and Research Libraries 76(1): 6–18.

Brophy

(2008) Telling the story: Qualitative approaches to measuring the performance of emerging library services. Performance Measurement and Metrics 9(1): 7–17.

Clark

Goodwin

Samuelson

, et al. (2008) A qualitative assessment of the Kindle e-book reader: Results from initial focus groups. Performance Measurement and Metrics 9(2): 118–129.

Duffett

(2017) Influence of social media marketing communications on young consumers’ attitudes. Young Consumers 18(1): 19–39.

Gibson

Gibb

(2011) An evaluation of second-generation ebook readers. Electronic Library 29(3): 303–319.

Girard

(2014) Reader’s block: A systematic review of barriers to adoption, access and use in e-book user studies. Information Research 19(2). Available at: http://InformationR.net/ir/19-2/paper624.html

10.

Hájek

Stejskal

(2015) Modelling public library value using the contingent valuation method: The case of the Municipal Library of Prague. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 47(1): 43–55.

11.

Halásková

Bednář

(2020) Public services and their financial allocation in the European context. Scientific Papers of the University of Pardubice, Series D: Faculty of Economics and Administration 28(2): 1052.

12.

Hartley

(2005) Innovation in governance and public services: Past and present. Public Money and Management 25(1): 27–34.

13.

Hibbard

(2014) Ebooks: An alternative to paper books for online students? International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research 8(1): 46–56.

14.

Himma

Just

(2007) Electronic books in the USA - their numbers and development and a comparison to Germany. Library Hi Tech 25(1): 157–164.

15.

Landoni

Hanlon

(2007) E-book reading groups: Interacting with e-books in public libraries. Electronic Library 25(5): 599–612.

16.

Littman

Connaway

(2004) A circulation analysis of print books and e-books in an academic research library. Library Resources and Technical Services 48(4): 256–262.

17.

MacWilliam

(2013) The engaged reader. Publishing Research Quarterly 29(1): 1–11.

18.

Merga

(2015) Do adolescents prefer electronic books to paper books? Publications 3(4): 237–247.

19.

Meričková

Štrangfeldová

Muthová

, et al. (2020) Performance measurement in education public services based on the value for money concept. Scientific Papers of the University of Pardubice, Series D: Faculty of Economics and Administration 28(3): 1099.

20.

Noorhidawati

Gibb

(2008) How students use e-books – reading or referring? Malaysian Journal of Library and Information Science 13(2): 1–14.

21.

Prokop

Stejskal

(2019) Different influence of cooperation and public funding on innovation activities within German industries. Journal of Business Economics and Management 20(2): 384–397.

22.

Prokop

Stejskal

Hudec

(2019) Collaboration for innovation in small CEE countries. E + M: Ekonomie a Management 22(1): 130–144.

23.

Rao

Kumar

Tripathi

(2018) E-book and print book price and desirability for university libraries: A comparative study. Electronic Library 36(1): 82–102.

24.

Reports about the Czech book market in 2017 and 2018. Available at: https://www.sckn.cz/zpravy-o-ceskem-kniznim-trhu/

25.

Report about the Czech book market in 2019. Available at: https://www.sckn.cz/file/wysiwyg/files/Zprava_o_kniznim_trhu_2019def.pdf

26.

Roesnita

Zainab

(2013) The pattern of e-book use amongst undergraduates in Malaysia: A case of to know is to use. Malaysian Journal of Library and Information Science 10(2): 1–23.

27.

Stejskal

Hájek

(2015) Evaluating the economic value of a public service – the case of the Municipal Library of Prague. Public Money and Management 35(2): 145–152.

28.

Tri-Agif

Noorhidawati

Ghalebandi

(2016) Continuance intention of using ebook among higher education students. Malaysian Journal of Library and Information Science 21(1): 19–33.

29.

Volejníková

Kuba

(2020) An economic analysis of public choice: Theoretical methodological interconnections. Scientific Papers of the University of Pardubice, Series D: Faculty of Economics and Administration 28(3): 1129.

30.

Vrabková

(2017) Decomposition of technical efficiency of selected city libraries from the Czech Republic. Scientific Papers of the University of Pardubice, Series D: Faculty of Economics and Administration 24(40): 222–233.

31.

Walton

(2008) From the ACRL 13th national conference: E-book use versus users’ perspective. College and Undergraduate Libraries 14(4): 19–35.

32.

Worstall

(2014) Close the libraries and buy everyone an Amazon Kindle unlimited subscription. Forbes, 18 July. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2014/07/18/close-the-libraries-and-buy-everyone-an-amazon-kindle-unlimited-subscription/?sh=54f555cb48cb