OBJECTIVE
As libraries seek to provide both print and digital books, documenting high usage along with understanding patron format preferences is essential for collection development. The purpose of this project is to better understand the format preferences of first year medical students in regards to print versus digital resources.
METHODS
At the D’Angelo Library, 50% of first year medical student textbooks are freely available digitally through library subscriptions, and one print copy of all current textbooks are placed on reserve. Usage statistics for both print and digital textbooks and all digital resources were compiled. Two years of first year medical students (FY2016 and FY2017) were surveyed the first week of classes and again at the end of their first year, about their preferences in using print over digital resources.
RESULTS
Digital access usage for textbooks was dramatically higher when compared with print book checkouts and overall digital resource usage was comparatively high with other student years. Surveys revealed that first year medical students experienced a dramatic shift away from print with a preference for digital resources during their first year of medical school.
CONCLUSIONS
By tracking usage statistics of textbooks and the overall usage of digital resources, and by looking at pre and post perception surveys, it can be concluded from this research that first year medical students change their format preference for resource usage from print to digital during their first year of medical school, and the digital textbook collection should take precedence over print when allocating library resources.
