Electronic books or Ebooks are becoming more and more common in colleges. In this research, the student book buying patterns are studied at a public engineering institution. Ebooks are becoming more and more common. Based on a research survey, we analyze whether students prefer ebooks or print editions. Comparisons are done across disciplines, level of the student (freshman to graduate), whether the student owns a laptop/desktop/tablet, student work commitments, financial needs, and age; among other factors. Some professors give the option of using the ebooks, while others do not. Students may or may not know about the availability of ebooks for their courses and this may impact their decision to choose either option. Students may make decisions to purchase ebooks or print edition based on cost, readability, availability, and ability to take notes, impact on the environment, ease of use, logistics and the level of the usage of the book in a given course. Students also take into account the resale value of the book at the end of the semester. These and other factors that lead to the student choice are studied. The goal of this study is to understand student book buying behaviors. Authors hope that both students and faculty members can be made aware of the various text book options available so they can make the best choices given the individual circumstances.
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