A Comparison and Analysis of Mobile Accessibility and Use for eBook Platforms Jean Gudenas, MLIS ([email protected])
Loyola University of Chicago Health Sciences Library
Ebrary Ebsco Elsevier Inkling McGraw-Hill STAT!Ref
Hosts over 400 publishers in a variety of
subject areas
Institutions can buy or rent eBooks
(depending on publisher)
Option to download for off-line use and
“check out” eBooks
Concurrent or unlimited users (depending on
publisher)
One-time purchase
No copyright restrictions as long as Fair Use is
followed
App very limited compared to website
Hosts over 100 publishers in a variety of
subject areas
Option to download for off-line use and
“check-out” eBooks
Concurrent or unlimited users (depending on
publisher)
One-time purchase
No copyright restrictions as long as Fair Use is
followed
Must download BlueFire app for mobile
accessibility
Does not work in Mobile browser
Pageburst is the app developed by Elsevier
for Elsevier published titles
App also utilized by the aggregators Kno
and VitalSource
Pricing is only for individual purchase—no
institutional subscription available
Option to buy or rent eBook
Interactive (self-assessment, hide-and-
reveal, media, etc.)
No copyright restrictions as long as Fair
Use is followed
Both the app and aggregator
Web version available for institutional subscription
As of right now, mobile browser does not
always connect to institutional subscriptions
Institutional subscription pricing based on
concurrent users (1 eBook = 1 user)
Yearly institutional subscription or one-time
individual purchase
Interactive (self-assessment, hide-and-reveal,
media, etc.)
Copyright restrictions—must contact Inkling for
any use
Collections consist of mostly McGraw-Hill
publications
Mobile-specific site limits what is available
through normal website
Can view website through mobile browser, but
not completely optimized
Media cannot work without a special flash app
or browser
Institutional subscriptions based on
concurrent or unlimited users
Hosts health science publishers
Has both an app and the website is optimized
for mobile use
Many references hyperlinks to outside
publications (articles link to PubMed citations)
Institutional subscriptions based on
concurrent users for each eBook
No copyright restrictions as long as Fair Use is
followed
Some eBook platforms are only available on certain devices
and not all features are available on every platform. In fact,
eBook platforms can even differ between the desktop and
mobile device. These three charts displays what features are
available on each platform, what devices the platform is
accessible from and the comparison between the desktop
and mobile versions.
The chart of the left displays the pricing and subscription
models while the chart on the right visualizes the copyright
allowances for each platform
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