“It has been shown that although the schools have not been closed except to a limited extent, there has been a change in the general way in which people seek information and buy books. There is many times more online shopping this year than at the same time last year and we find that in general people are much more searching on the web, “says Ottarr Proppe, store manager of Boksala student about the changes that the coronary pandemic is having on students’ consumption behavior.
This change could be seen as early as this spring when all university teaching was transferred to distance learning. The same applies now even if students are either in distance learning or on-site. Óttarr says, however, that it is a misunderstanding that the demand for e-books has increased greatly. “Regarding textbooks, we feel that students are more open to using e-books, but there is no revolution so far,” says Ottar.
Ottar says that in the wake of the coronary epidemic, Boksala student (BS) has responded with measures such as strengthening the search engine on the web and offering home delivery services. At the same time as online shopping has increased dramatically, online shopping has not changed what is shopping.
“Most students still choose books in printed form and many students tell me that they prefer to have the book accessible at work, next to the computer. I especially hear talk about this now in connection with distance learning “says Ottarr.
He also says that many people use textbooks as textbooks after graduation.
“As a librarian, I can only notice if I visit a doctor that you often see the old textbooks inside the doctor’s inside newer books. So it is quite clear in my mind that the death of printed books is greatly exaggerated “says Ottarr.
Ottarr says that worldwide there is a lot of movement in the development of study material, book publishing, and distribution. However, things are changing more slowly than might be expected. Thus, BS has over 300 thousand titles in the form of electronic books. They are slowly increasing in sales but are still only a small part of the books sold.
“This is in line with what we hear from the countries around us. There is a big increase in the fact that large textbooks at the university level are connected to databases with additional information, practice exams, and the like “, says Ottar and adds” We see that more teachers and students are taking advantage of this. It is often offered either a paper or electronic version of the book as well as access to a special data area. “
