The purpose of the research was to investigate the provision of e-books by Hampshire Libraries and Information Service (HLIS). The research aimed to explore the attitudes and experiences of front-line staff and customers. The following objectives were set out:ud1) Establish how e-books are provided by HLIS.ud2) Examine the attitudes of front-line staff towards e-books in public libraries.ud3) Find out the levels of awareness of e-books amongst current library customers.ud4) Examine the attitudes of current library customers towards e-books in public libraries.ud5) Explore the challenges associated with the provision of e-books in public libraries.ud6) Consider the future of e-books in public libraries.udThis research used a mixed methods approach. The researcher conducted a literature review and accessed usage statistics. The researcher carried out three sets of semi-structured interviews with:ud1) Thirty two customers.ud2) Thirty five front-line staff.ud3) An in-depth interview with a member of staff who was responsible for establishing e-book provision.udThe data was analysed thematically. Amongst customers, there was a high level of awareness of e-books but a lower level of awareness of HLIS e-books. A preference for print emerged as the main reason for not using e-books amongst participants. For participants, the main advantages of e-books were portability and storage while the main disadvantages were cost and the loss of tactility. The majority of participants were positive about e-books in general and e-books provided by public libraries. Statistics show that the OverDrive service has been successful so far in Hampshire. However, a current and future problem for libraries is a lack of content. Although the sampling methods and the size of the sample limit the value and trustworthiness of the findings, a range of attitudes and challenges in one public library authority were explored in this research.
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