The University of North Texas Libraries’ Dean’s Innovation Grant, formerly known as the Green Light To Greatness Award, provides funding to research and projects within the UNT Libraries that promote scholarship and contribute to the gathering of knowledge that helps improve our libraries, our university, and the community.

Dean’s Innovation Grant 2016 Awardees

Susan Smith, Erin Miller, Allyson Rodriguez

Project Title

Are print books REALLY dead?: Exploring the relationship between the technology acceptance model and the use of e-books at a large research university

Project Description

Even in today’s technology-based world, people who are known as “digital natives” still prefer print books to e-books. E-books are perceived to be useful in an academic setting, but there are still gaps in this kind of research. This study aimed to understand and collect data on the usefulness of e-books and how students respond to them.

To do this, researchers provide incentives to encourage people to take surveys related to library usage and reading habits, specifically in the context of the Technology Acceptance Model, which found that faculty members who perceived e-books as easier to use were more likely to accept and use them

Contributor Biographies

Susan Smith, Ph.D. is the Head of Library and Research Support Services. She has a Ph.D. in Public and Urban Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master of Library Science from the University of Oklahoma in Library and Information Studies.

Erin Miller is the Head of the Media Library. She received her Master of Library Science from the University of Kentucky.

Allyson Rodriguez is the Strategic Collections Librarian for Collection Development. She received her Master of Library Science and her Graduate Academic Certificate in Advanced Management in Libraries and Information Agencies from UNT.