The effect of personal and situational factors on LIS students' and
professionals' intentions to use e-books
Noa Aharony
Department of Information Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
a b s t r a c ta r t i c l e i n f o
Available online 19 May 2014 Due to the growth in both the number and use of e-books, the question arises as to which factors may inﬂuence
information professionals and library and information science (LIS) students when considering adopting e-books
in their organizations. This study uses the technology acceptance model (TAM), a well-known theory for
explaining individuals' technology behaviors, and cognitive appraisal theory as theoretical bases from which to
predict factors that may inﬂuence information professionals and LIS students in their adoption of e-books in
their organizations. This study explored two main themes: whether there are differences between information
professionals' and LIS students' perspectives towards e-books, and to what extent the TAM, as well as other
personal characteristics such as threat, challenge, and motivation, explain information professionals' and LIS students'
perspectives. Researchers used questionnaires to gather data on computer competence, attitudes to
ebooks, motivation, and cognitive appraisal. Findings reveal that there are major differences between the two
groups concerning computer competence, motivation, and challenge. In addition, the TAM, as well as other personal
characteristics, can predict the likelihood of e-book adoption, and highlights the importance of individual
characteristics when considering technology acceptance.
© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Technological advances have changed individuals' reading experiences
and e-books are becoming a popular platform for delivering
reading materials. According to the Pew Research Center (2012), digital
reading has gone viral and one in ﬁve Americans has read an e-book
within the past year, whether on an e-reader, tablet, computer, or
cellphone. Further, 28% of Americans own at least one device for ereading.
The average reader of e-books read 24 books in the last year,
compared with 15 books read by those who read only print. Vassiliou
and Rowley (2008) suggest that an e-book is a digital object with
traditional book-like characteristics that can be used in an electronic environment,
with properties such as: search ability, links, and annotations.
The launch of the Kindle, a portable reader, by Amazon in 2008
has caused much interest in e-books and during the Christmas shopping
of 2009, its e-book sales outpaced those of printed books (Allen, 2009,
December 28). According to the Association of American Publishers
(as cited in Indvik, 2010, October 15), e-book sales increased by almost
200% in 2010 when compared to 2009; in August, 2012, Amazon.co.uk
announced that sales of its Kindle e-books were outstripping sales of
printed books (Malik, 2012, August 5).
2. Problem statement
Due to the growth of both the number and use of e-books, the question
arises regarding which factors may inﬂuence information professionals
and library and information science (LIS) students when
considering adopting e-books within their organizations. This question
is important because researchers assume that both sectors should be
early adopters of new technologies and may serve as gatekeepers
to technological innovations. This study seeks to explore whether the
LIS community, consisting of information professionals and LIS students,
is familiar with these particular technological innovations and
whether its members are ready to accept them in their organizations.
Do they understand the power of e-books in their information centers?
Are they ready to adopt new tools? Although some studies have focused
on e-books, none has integrated various sections of the LIS community
by focusing on information professionals' and LIS students' intentions
to use e-books in workplaces. This aspect is important as recent studies
have presented differences between these two professional groups
concerning adoption of technological innovations such as: mobile libraries
(Aharony, 2014) and Facebook use (Aharony, in press). This
study uses an extended version of the technology acceptance model
(TAM), a well-known theory for explaining individuals' technology behaviors
(Davis, 1989; Morris & Venkatesh, 2000). One criticism of the
TAM is that it focuses mainly on cognition and neglects the inﬂuence
of emotion on technology adoption (Kulviwat, Bruner, Kumar, Nasco,
Library & Information Science Research 36 (2014) 106–113
E-mail address: noa.aharony@biu.ac.il.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2014.01.001
0740-8188/© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Library & Information Science Research
& Clark, 2007). Therefore, the current research includes external variables
that can be considered as the bridge between internal beliefs, attitudes,
and intentions mentioned in the TAM, and individual differences
that may affect users' technology acceptance behavior (Davis, Bagozzi, &
Warshaw, 1989). The external variables used in the present study are
the characteristics of threat and challenge that are part of Cognitive Appraisal
Theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), and the emotional aspect of
motivation. The objectives of this study were to examine: (a) if there
are differences between information professionals' and LIS students' intentions
to use e-books, (b) to what extent does the TAM explain information
professionals' and LIS students' intentions to use e-books, (c) to
what extent do characteristics such as cognitive appraisals explain information
professionals' and LIS students' intentions to use e-books,
and (d) to what extent do differences in computer competence and motivation
explain information professionals' and LIS students' intentions
to use e-books. The research may contribute to the theoretical understanding
of variables that inﬂuence information professionals' and LIS
students' intentions to use e-books and may lead to further inquiry in
this ﬁeld.
3. Literature review
3.1. Adoption and use of e-books
Several studies have considered e-book readers. van der Velde and
Ernst (2009) claim that e-books are still in their infancy and that people
should get accustomed to them. Chen (2003) found that readers prefer
printed books for reading and study and e-books for pleasure and navigation.
Other researchers (Brown, 2001; Burk, 2001) explored the
advantages and disadvantages of e-book readers. Focusing on factors
which cause users to use e-book readers, Lai and Chang (2011) suggested
that convenience, compatibility, and media richness contribute
to e-book reader acceptance.
Other studies were conducted that concentrated on students' perceptions
towards e-books. Clark, Goodwin, Samuelson, and Cocker
(2008) assessed user perceptions and use of the Kindle via focus groups
in an academic environment. In another study, Clark (2009) delved into
the assimilation of an e-book lending program at a university library.
Shepperd, Grace, and Koch (2008) found that 90% of students preferred
printed textbooks to electronic books, even though they were more expensive.
A similar result was found by Woody, Daniel, and Baker (2010),
who noted that students preferred printed books over e-books for
learning. Another aspect of such research was presented by Pattuelli
and Rabina (2010), who investigated Kindle use among library and
information science students and found that the portability of the
device and its convenience of use enhanced students' reading experience.
Therefore, it seems that there is no overall agreement concerning
e-book adoption.
3.2. TAM
The technology acceptance model (TAM) is a well-known model for
predicting information systems use (McGill & Bax, 2007). It was created
by Davis (1989) and grounded in the theory of reasoned action (TRA)
(Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). According to the TRA, an individual's behavior
is associated with his beliefs, attitudes, and intentions to perform that
behavior. Thus, these factors affect an individual's intention to perform
a certain action. The TAM reﬁnes the TRA and focuses on two main variables:
perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) as
factors that inﬂuence one's attitude towards using a certain technology.
Perceived usefulness is regarded as the degree to which an individual
believes that using a particular technology would enhance his or her
job performance (Davis, 1989). Perceived ease of use addresses the degree
to which a person assumes that using a certain technology would
be free of effort. Davis proposes that these two factors may predict an
individual's information technology acceptance. According to Davis,
one's acceptance of an information technology depends on beliefs
about the usefulness and ease of use of the technology, which in turn inﬂuence
attitudes and intentions towards using a certain technology.
Numerous studies have examined the TAM. Several meta-analyses
(King & He, 2006; Ma & Liu, 2004) and review articles (Legris, Ingham,
& Collerette, 2003; Turner, Kitchenham, Brereton, Charters, & Bugden,
2010) have addressed the importance of the model for understanding
the process of information technology (IT) acceptance. Some have focused
on users' acceptance of e-mail, word processing, the web, and instant
messaging (Davis, 1989; Davis et al., 1989; Davis & Venkatesh,
1996). Others explored the TAM in corporate environments (Gefen &
Straub, 1997; Igbaria, Gumaraes, & Davis, 1995) and in web shopping
(Chang, Kim, & Oh, 2002; Koo, 2003). In education, the TAM was used
to examine students' attitudes towards e-learning acceptance (Park,
2009; Park, Nam, & Park, 2008), and towards m-learning (Aharony,
2012; Jairak, Praneetpolgrang, & Mekhabunchakij, 2009). Several studies
examined the model within the library arena and, in particular, applied
it to acceptance of digital libraries (Park, Roman, Lee, & Chung,
2009; Thong, Hong, & Tam, 2002). Others investigated the LIS community
perspectives of technological innovations in their workplaces
(Aharony, 2014, in press). This study explores the TAM in a new context:
LIS community and e-books.
3.3. Personal innovativeness
Another variable that may predict respondents' intentions to use
e-books is personal innovativeness, a construct that potentially affects
how people respond to innovations (Jeong, Yoo, & Heo, 2009). Personal
innovativeness is a well-known concept in innovation diffusion research
in general (Agarwal & Prasad, 1998; Lu, Yao, & Yu, 2005), and
especially in the domain of marketing (Midgley & Dowling, 1978;
Flynn & Goldsmith, 1996). Agarwal and Prasad (1998) suggested that
personal innovativeness is a construct that may help identify individuals
who would adopt technology innovations earlier than others.
They also coined the term PIIT (personal innovativeness in the domain
of information technology) and deﬁned it as the willingness of individuals
to try out any new information technology. According to Agarwal &
Prasad, PIIT is considered as a relatively stable descriptor of individuals
across various situations.
3.4. Cognitive appraisal: threat and challenge
Lazarus and Folkman (1984) deﬁned cognitive appraisal as the
individual's judgment of an event or situation with respect to its significance
for well-being. Threat and challenge appraisals occur when dealing
with stressful situations. The individual assesses the demands of the
environment (primary appraisal), and then makes a decision
concerning his or her resources that can be applied to the situation (secondary
appraisal). These two appraisals determine whether people assess
the situation as a threat or a challenge (Blascovich & Tomaka,
1996; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). If the individual assumes that his or
her personal resources are not sufﬁcient, the situation is appraised as
a threat because of the potential for harm or loss. Threat is typically associated
with negative affect and limited focus (Blascovich, 2008). On
the other hand, if the individual assumes that his or her resources are
sufﬁcient to meet the demands of the situation, the situation is appraised
as a challenge, and the potential for gain, mastery, or growth
is recognized. Challenge is usually associated with better performance
and positive affect (Blascovich, Mendes, & Seery, 2002; Blascovich &
Mendes, 2000). Blascovich (2008) adds that these evaluations take
place in motivated performance situations such as exams, speech giving,
sport competitions, and when individuals are engaged in a task. Studies
in psychology have found that challenge appraisal encourages performance
and threat appraisal blocks it (Seery, Weisbuch, Hetenyi, &
Blascovich, 2010). Several studies that focused on the threat and challenge
variables were carried out in the Library and Information Science
107N. Aharony / Library & Information Science Research 36 (2014) 106–113
environment as well (Aharony, 2009, 2011). It should be mentioned
that although the phenomenon of e-books is common in North
America, it is not so common or popular in Israel (where the studies
were carried out), thus the researcher's assumption was that ereaders'
usage may cause stress or threat among the study's
participants.
3.5. Motivation
Another variable that may inﬂuence people's behavioral intention
to use e-books is their motivation. Deci and Ryan (1985) presented
the self-determination theory (SDT), which is a macrotheory
of human motivation concerned with the development
and functioning of personality within social contexts. In order for
individuals to be perceived as “healthy,” they should present high
levels of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Deci & Ryan,
2008). According to the SDT, if individuals' needs are satisﬁed,
they will present optimal motivation and well-being; and, on the
contrary, when needs are thwarted they will present low motivation
and well-being. Mitchell (1982) suggested that motivation is
a psychological process that causes arousal, direction, and persistence
of behavior. Motivation has been identiﬁed as a major factor
of general behavior (Deci & Ryan, 1987), information technology
acceptance behavior (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1992; Moon &
Kim, 2001; Venkatesh & Speier, 1999), and work-related behavior
(George & Brief, 1996; Lu, 1999). The reasons for adopting a specific
behavior differ from one person to another, and are actually associated
with an individual's attitudes, goals, and needs.
3.6. Demographic variables
An additional aspect to be considered is participants' age. This variable
has already been found to inﬂuence LIS students', as well as practitioners',
intentions to use novel technologies in their workplaces. A previous study
showed that LIS students who were younger than information professionals
perceived Facebook as easier to use in their workplace. In addition
they found it more enjoyable, and used Facebook more often than the information
professionals (Aharony, in press). Furthermore, in another
study, researchers found out that LIS students who were younger than information
professionals had higher levels of perceived ease of use of and
usefulness of mobile technology than information professionals
(Aharony, 2014).
4. Hypotheses
Assuming that PEOU, PU, personal innovativeness, cognitive appraisal,
and motivation may predict information professionals' and LIS
students' behavioral intention to use e-books, the following hypotheses
can be made:
H1. LIS students will have higher intentions to use e-books, as measured
by PEOU scores, than information professionals.
H2. LIS students will have higher intentions to use e-books, as measured
by PU scores, than information professionals.
H3. LIS students will have higher personal innovativeness scores than
those of information professionals.
H4. LIS students will have lower threat scores and higher challenge
scores than those of information professionals.
H5. LIS students will have higher intentions to use e-books than information
professionals.
H6. LIS students will score higher on motivation to use e-books than information
professionals.
H7. LIS students' computer competence scores will be higher than
those of information professionals.
H8. High scores in respondents' PEOU, PU, and personal innovativeness
will be associated with high scores in their behavioral intention to use e-
books.
H9. Low scores in respondents' threat appraisal and high scores in respondents'
challenge appraisal will be associated with high scores in
their behavioral intention to use e-books.
H10. High scores in respondents' motivation will be associated with
high scores in their behavioral intention to use e-books.
H11. High scores in respondents' computer competence will be associated
with high scores in their behavioral intention to use e-books.
Fig. 1 proposes a model for H8–H11.
5. Instruments and measures
5.1. Data collection
The research was conducted in Israel during the ﬁrst semester of the
2013 academic year and encompassed two groups of participants: information
professionals and LIS students. The researchers sent a message
and a questionnaire to an Israeli library and information science discussion
group of mostly public and academic librarians and to an Israeli
information specialist group which works mostly in the private sector.
The message explained the study's purpose and asked group members
to complete the questionnaire. These two discussion groups encompass
about 900 members; 169 responses were received, giving a reply percentage
of 18.77%. As for LIS students, there are approximately 800 enrolled
nationwide. Researchers received permission to enter different
courses in a prominent LIS department that prepares students to
become school, public, and academic librarians, as well as other types
of information professionals. Researchers delivered 200 questionnaires
to the students and explained the study purpose. Of this group,
132 responded (16.50%). This research therefore had a total of 301
respondents.
5.2. Data analysis
Of the information professionals, 48 (28.40%) were male and 121
(71.60%) were female. Among LIS students, 48 (36.40%) were male
and 84 (63.60%) were female. For the entire sample, 96 respondents
(31.90%) were male and 205 (68.10%) were female. The information
professionals' average age was 46, while that of the LIS students was
31. In order to examine differences among the two groups concerning
gender and age, a T-test was conducted that showed a signiﬁcant difference
between the two groups regarding age, F (1,298) = 169.94, p N .05,
η2
= .36. Results show that information professionals' ages (M = 45.74,
SD = 9.94), were higher than students' ages (M = 31.15, SD = 9.17).
5.3. Measures
Researchers used questionnaires with ﬁve sections to gather data:
personal details, computer competence, intentions to use e-books,
motivation, and a cognitive appraisal (Appendix A). The personal details
section had two statements. The computer competence section
consisted of 5 statements rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongest
disagreement; 5 = strongest agreement).
The e-books attitude section, based on Liu, Li, and Carlsson (2010),
TAM questionnaire for M-learning was modiﬁed for this study and
consisted of 13 statements rated on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongest
disagreement; 7 = strongest agreement). A principal components
factor analysis using varimax rotation with Kaiser normalization was
108 N. Aharony / Library & Information Science Research 36 (2014) 106–113
done and explained 60% of the variance. Principal components factor
analysis revealed four distinct factors. The ﬁrst was related to information
professionals' behavioral intention to use e-books (items 3, 5, 7,
11); the second was related to information professionals' perceptions
about e-books' ease of use (items 1, 8, 10); the third was related to information
professionals' personal innovativeness (items 4, 6, 9); and
the fourth was related to information professionals' perceptions about
e-book usefulness (items 2, 12, 13). The values of Cronbach's alpha
were .82, .84, .83, and .70 respectively.
The motivation questionnaire, based on the Coach Motivation
Scale (CMS; Frederick & Morrison, 1999), was modiﬁed for this
study. The CMS was developed on the principles of the selfdetermination
theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) and differentiates between
intrinsic and extrinsic coaching motives. The current questionnaire
consisted of 14 statements rated on a 7-point Likert
scale (1 = strongest disagreement; 7 = strongest agreement).
Principal components factor analysis revealed two distinct factors.
The ﬁrst was related to intrinsic motivation (items 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12,
and 13) and the second was related to extrinsic motivation
(items 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 12, and 14). The values of Cronbach's alpha
were .93 and .84, respectively. A Pearson correlation conducted in
order to ﬁnd the relationship between the two factors found a
high, signiﬁcant positive correlation (r = .67, p b .001) between
them. Therefore, during analysis, the researchers referred to it as
a single measure of motivation.
The cognitive appraisal questionnaire measured information professionals'
feelings of threat versus challenge when confronted with
new situations. It consisted of 10 statements rated on a 6-point scale
(1 = fully disagree; 6 = fully agree). This questionnaire was used in
previous studies (Aharony, 2009, 2011; Yekutiel, 1990) and consisted
of two factors: threat (items 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8) and challenge (items
4, 6, 9, and 10). Cronbach's alpha was .86 for the threat factor and .58
for the challenge factor. Table 1 presents the different questionnaires
used in the study.
Perceived ease
of use
Perceived
usefulness
Challenge
Motivation
Computer
competence
Behavioral intention to use
e-books
Personal
innovativeness
Fig. 1. Research model.
109N. Aharony / Library & Information Science Research 36 (2014) 106–113
6. Results
In order to examine whether there are differences between the two
groups concerning work with computers (computer competence and
motivation), cognitive appraisal (threat and challenge), and variables
related to the TAM (PU, PEOU, personal innovativeness, and behavioral
intention) a series of one-way MANOVA was performed. The
MANOVA revealed a signiﬁcant difference between the two groups
concerning computer competence and motivation (F (2,299) = 4.91,
p b .01, η2
= .03). Means, standard deviations, and the MANOVA analysis
for each group are presented in Table 2.
Univariate ANOVA revealed signiﬁcant differences between the two
groups concerning the two measures. It seems that students' computer
competence is higher than information professionals'. However, the
motivation of information professionals is higher than that of students.
In order to examine whether there are differences between the two
groups concerning cognitive appraisal, PU, PEOU, personal innovativeness
and behavioral intention to use e-books, a MANOVA was performed.
The MANOVA did not reveal a signiﬁcant difference between
the two groups concerning PU, PEOU, personal innovativeness and
behavioral intention to use e-books, F (6,295) = 1.28, p N .05. Yet, the
MANOVA performed on each measure separately revealed a significant
difference between the two groups regarding challenge appraisal,
F (1,300) = 4.81, p b .05, η2
= .03. It seems that information professionals'
level of challenge, M = 3.50, SD = 1.31, is higher than that of
LIS students', M = 3.17, SD = 1.27.
Pearson correlations were performed to examine the relationship
between computer competence, motivation, threat appraisal, challenge
appraisal, PU, PEOU, personal innovativeness, and the dependent variable
of behavioral intention to use e-books (Table 3).
Table 3 shows signiﬁcant correlations between computer competence,
motivation, and behavioral intention to use e-books. The more
computer competence and motivation respondents have, the greater
their behavioral intentions to use e-books. Signiﬁcant correlations
were also found between computer competence and threat appraisal,
personal innovativeness, and PEOU. The correlation with threat
appraisal is negative and other correlations are positive. Thus, respondents
who have higher computer competencies perceive e-book usage
as less threatening, more innovative, and easier to use. Moreover, significant
positive correlations were also found between motivation and
challenge appraisal, PU and personal innovativeness. It seems that the
higher the respondents' motivation is, the more challenged and personally
innovative they are, and the more highly they regard the usefulness
of e-books. Table 3 also shows signiﬁcant correlations between threat
appraisal, challenge appraisal, PU, PEOU, personal innovativeness and
respondents' behavioral intention to use e-books. All correlations are
positive, except for the correlation between threat appraisal and
intention. Hence, the higher the respondents' challenge appraisal, PU,
PEOU, and personal innovativeness; and the lower their threat appraisal,
the greater their behavioral intention to use e-books. Table 3 also
shows that negative correlations were found between threat appraisal
and PU, PEOU and personal innovativeness; positive correlations were
found between challenge appraisal and PU, and personal innovativeness.
The lower the threat appraisal and the higher the challenge
appraisal, the greater are PU and personal innovativeness. Further,
the more respondents appraise the situation as a threat, the lower
their PEOU. Positive correlations were also found between PU, personal
innovativeness, and PEOU. Participants who have higher perspectives of
e-book usefulness are more personally innovative and also have more
positive perspectives on e-books' ease of use. In addition, participants
who are more innovative have higher regard for the ease of use
of e-books.
A hierarchical regression was conducted using behavioral intention
to use e-books as a dependent variable. The predictors were entered
as six steps:
1. Research two groups: information professionals and LIS students.
2. Cognitive appraisal variables: threat and challenge.
3. Computer competence and motivation.
4. Personal innovation and PEOU.
5. PU.
6. Interactions between the two research groups and research
variables.
In the regression analysis, the entrance of the ﬁrst ﬁve steps was
forced, while that of the interactions was done according to their contribution
to the explained variance. The regression analysis showed that
there was not any signiﬁcant contribution of the interactions to the explained
variance of behavioral intention to use e-books, thus, Table 3
presents only the ﬁrst ﬁve steps. The regression explained 68% of the behavioral
intention to use e-books. Table 4 presents the standardized and
unstandardized coefﬁcients of the hierarchical regression of respondents'
behavioral intention to use e-books.
Examining the ﬁrst step reveals that the research group variable
(information professionals and LIS students) did not contribute signiﬁcantly
to the explained variance. The second step introduced the
cognitive appraisal variable (challenge and threat), that contributed
signiﬁcantly by adding 27% to the explained variance of the behavioral
intention to use e-books. The beta coefﬁcients of the two variables
were signiﬁcant: that of threat was negative and that of challenge was
positive. In other words, the more respondents appraise the situation
as a threat, the lower their behavioral intention to use e-books; and
the more respondents appraise the situation as a challenge, the higher
their behavioral intention to use e-books. The third step introduced
two variables associated with computer usage: computer competence
and motivation. These variables added 8% to the explained variance of
behavioral intention to use e-books. The beta coefﬁcient was positive:
respondents, who make greater use of computers and who are more
motivated to work with computers, appear to have a higher behavioral
intention to use e-books. The inclusion of this step caused a decrease in
the β size of the challenge appraisal. A Sobel test indicated that motivation
mediates between challenge appraisal and behavioral intention to
use e-books (z = 5.57, p b .001). Hence, the more respondents perceive
e-books as challenging, the more they are motivated and the higher
their intention to use them.
Table 1
Study questionnaires.
Name of questionnaire Number of items Number of scales Cronbach's alpha
1. Personal details 2
2. Computer competence 5 5
3. E-books attitude 13 7 .82, .84, .83, .70
4. Motivation 14 7 .93. .84
5. Cognitive appraisal 10 6 .86, .58
Table 2
Means and standard deviations of respondents' computer competence and motivation.
Measures Information professionals Students
M SD M SD F (1, 300) Eta2
Competence 4.48 .58 4.64 .50 6.05⁎ .02
Motivation 4.42 1.24 4.11 1.13 3.99⁎ .01
⁎ p b .05.
110 N. Aharony / Library & Information Science Research 36 (2014) 106–113
The fourth step added respondents' perceptions about their personal
innovativeness and PEOU and also contributed signiﬁcantly
by adding 8% to the explained variance of behavioral intention to
use e-books. The beta coefﬁcients were positive; it appears that the
more respondents perceived themselves as personally innovative
and e-books as easy to use, the greater their behavioral intention to use
them. As the ﬁfth step, researchers added perceptions about e-book
usefulness, which added 22% to the explained variance of behavioral
intention to use e-books. The beta coefﬁcient was positive, suggesting
that the more respondents perceived e-books as useful, the greater their
behavioral intention to use them. Note that in this step there was a
decrease in the β size of motivation, personal innovativeness, and PEOU.
A Sobel test indicated that usefulness mediates between motivation and
behavioral intention to use e-books (z = 10.12, p b . 001), between
personal innovativeness and behavioral intention to use e-books (z =
9.06, p b . 001), as well as between PEOU and behavioral intention to
use e-books (z = 5.98, p b .001). Hence, the more respondents are motivated
and personally innovative, and the more they perceive e-books'
ease of use, the higher their PU; and, as a result, the higher their behavioral
intention to use e-books.
7. Discussion
This study explored two main themes: whether there are differences
between information professionals' and LIS students' intentions
to use e-books; and to what extent the TAM, as well as other
characteristics such as threat and challenge appraisals, and motivation,
explains information professionals' and LIS students' intentions
to use e-books. The ﬁrst of these two themes refers to
differences between the two groups and addresses the ﬁrst seven
hypotheses. Only one (H7) out of these hypotheses was accepted.
It seems that LIS students' computer competence scores are higher
than that of information professionals. These ﬁndings are not surprising
and echo previous studies. In the current study, LIS students
are younger than information professionals, and the literature suggests
that computer skills are more easily learned by younger persons
(Czara, Hammond, Blascovich, & Swede, 1989). Moreover,
younger people usually possess greater experience with the Internet,
while older people may have more difﬁculties with it (Morris &
Venkatesh, 2000; Trocchia & Janda, 2000).
H6 was rejected, as it was found that information professionals'
scores of motivation to use e-books are higher than those of LIS students.
This ﬁnding is interesting because researchers assumed that
younger participants would have higher motivations to use e-books
than older ones. However, it can be associated with a further intriguing
ﬁnding that information professionals who are older appraise the situation
of adopting e-books as more challenging than do the younger
students. We may explain this as follows: Perhaps information professionals,
who are more experienced, understand that in order to survive
and to continue taking a major part in the dynamic and changing information
world they should be more motivated and challenged to adopt
new technologies, thus proving that they are still relevant and up-to
date.
Other hypotheses (H1, H2, H3, and H5), associated with differences
between the two groups and concerned the TAM, were also rejected.
Generally, it seems that there are no differences concerning e-book acceptance
between these two professional groups. Further details and
analysis of this ﬁnding will be introduced below in the discussion of
the TAM hypotheses.
H4 addressed the cognitive appraisal variable and was rejected. Yet,
it did present a difference between the two research groups. It was surprising
to ﬁnd that LIS students did not have lower scores in threat appraisal
(see the previous discussion about their ages) and higher scores
in challenge appraisal than information professionals. However, as was
mentioned, it was interesting to ﬁnd that information professionals who
are older appraise the situation of adopting e-books as more challenging
than younger students. To conclude, the ﬁrst issue of the study reveals
that there are no major differences between the two research groups.
Yet, it seems that information professionals better understand the constant,
dynamic change that the information world is undergoing than do
LIS students; and they are motivated and challenged to use the latest
technologies to improve their work and serve users by the most current
means.
Table 3
Pearson correlations between computer competence, motivation, threat, challenge, PU, PEOU, personal innovativeness, and behavioral intention to use e-books (n = 301).
Measures Competence Motivation Threat Challenge PU Innovative PEOU Intention
Competence
Motivation
Threat −.27⁎⁎⁎ −.01
Challenge −.04 .57⁎⁎⁎ .18⁎⁎
PU .14 .56⁎⁎⁎ −.28⁎⁎⁎ .45⁎⁎⁎
Innovative .34⁎⁎ .33⁎⁎⁎ −.30⁎⁎⁎ .20⁎⁎⁎ .51⁎⁎⁎
PEOU .38⁎⁎⁎ .07 −.50⁎⁎⁎ −.03 .33⁎⁎⁎ .51⁎⁎⁎
Intention .21⁎⁎⁎ .44⁎⁎⁎ −.35⁎⁎⁎ .31⁎⁎⁎ .79⁎⁎⁎ .51⁎⁎⁎ .44⁎⁎⁎
Note.
⁎⁎ p b .01.
⁎⁎⁎ p b .001.
Table 4
Hierarchical regression coefﬁcients of respondents' behavioral intention to use e-books
(n = 301).
Predictors B β R2
ΔR2
1. Groups .14 .06 .01 .01
2. Group .01 .00 28⁎⁎⁎ .27⁎⁎⁎
Threat −.55 −.43⁎⁎⁎
Challenge .33 .39⁎⁎⁎
3. Group .03 .01 .36⁎⁎⁎ .08⁎⁎⁎
Threat −.45 −.34⁎⁎⁎
Challenge .16 .19⁎⁎
Competence .28 .14⁎⁎
Motivation .30 .33⁎⁎⁎
4. Group .00 .00
Threat −.26 −.20⁎⁎⁎
Challenge .14 .17⁎⁎
Competence .04 .02
Motivation .24 .26⁎⁎⁎
Personal innovation .17 .20⁎⁎⁎
PEOU .28 .21⁎⁎⁎
5. Group .08 .03 .67⁎⁎⁎ .22⁎⁎⁎
Threat −.09 −.07
Challenge −.00 −.00
Competence .08 .04
Motivation .03 .03
Personal innovation .02 .03
PEOU .18 .14⁎⁎
PU .63 .68⁎⁎⁎
Note.
⁎⁎ p b .01.
⁎⁎⁎ p b .001.
111N. Aharony / Library & Information Science Research 36 (2014) 106–113
The second theme concerns the TAM and other characteristics. H8
addressed the TAM and was accepted. The ﬁndings suggest that high
scores in PEOU, PU, and in personal innovativeness are associated with
high scores in respondents' intention to adopt e-books in their organizations.
These results can be associated with previous studies noting that
PEOU, PU, and personal innovativeness affect the intention to use information
technology (Agarwal & Prasad, 1998; Aharony, in press
Al-Gahtani, 2001; Rose & Straub, 1998; Serenko, 2008). In this case,
the hypothesis refers to the entire research population, which presents
the attitudes of the different sectors of the LIS community. We can
conclude that those information professionals and LIS students who
would like to take advantage of a new technology, and who perceive
e-books as easy to use and able to improve their work, intend to use
e-books in their organizations. However, the regression analysis
showed that the effect of PU was greater than that of PEOU (22%) and
that of personal innovativeness (8%). This ﬁnding was already noted
in other research (Gefen, Karahanna, & Straub, 2003; Straub, Limayem,
& Karahanna-Evaristo, 1995) and indicates that both information professionals
and LIS students will adopt e-books if they are convinced
that such usage is beneﬁcial to them and their organizations, and that
it will improve their productivity within their workplaces. In addition,
both sectors intend to use e-books if they ﬁnd them easy to use and
not requiring a great deal of effort. As these results emphasize that respondents
who are more innovative have higher intentions to use ebooks,
they also suggest that such individuals understand the importance
and contribution of technological innovations, and that they are
technology-adventurous and ready to experience new technological
changes and bring fresh perspectives to their organizations.
The next hypothesis (H9) considered the cognitive appraisal variable
and was also conﬁrmed. The ﬁndings revealed that low scores in threat
appraisal and high scores in challenge appraisal are associated with high
scores in behavioral intention to use e-books. It seems that respondents
who anticipate failure or negative evaluation when coping with new
technological devices have lower intentions to use e-books. On the
other hand, those respondents who appraise the adoption of e-books
as challenging, and who were also found to be more motivated to use
e-books, are characterized by higher expectations and perceptions of
e-books that will eventually lead to higher intentions to use them.
Therefore, it is likely that both sectors will ultimately be more familiar
with e-books and new technological devices, in hopes that such exposure
will reduce the level of threat and, as a result, they will be more
challenged to try and use them.
The last two hypotheses (H10, and H11), focused on computer competence
and motivation, were also conﬁrmed. H10 asserted that high
scores in motivation would be associated with high scores in behavioral
intention to use e-books. These results are not unexpected and concur
with previous studies that emphasized motivation as a crucial factor
of both general behavior (Deci & Ryan, 1987), and information technology
acceptance behavior (Davis et al., 1992; Venkatesh & Speier, 1999).
Results pertaining to the last hypothesis (H11) show that high respondents'
computer competence scores are associated with high respondents'
behavioral intention to use e-books. It seems that the more
computer savvy participants are, the higher their behavioral intention
to use e-books. They have probably considered the advantages and
disadvantages of further use of technological innovations and have
come to the conclusion that it is better to experience, master, and assimilate
new technologies, such as e-books, within their organizations. Previous
results indicated that LIS students' computer skills are greater
than those of information professionals.
This study has several limitations. The ﬁrst is that the current study
focused only on the Israeli LIS community. The researchers suggest
that if an international LIS perspective towards e-books is to be
achieved, the study should be conducted in other countries as well.
Moreover, future studies may include further variables in the TAM in
order to gain a thorough understanding of its signiﬁcance. In addition
the fact that the study relies only upon self-reported data may inﬂuence
research's results. Researchers assume that further study focusing on actual
adoption of e-books would help to conﬁrm results. Finally, a future
study may also use qualitative methods, such as open questions or interviews,
to supplement the quantitative analysis and thereby enrich the
ﬁndings by adding other dimensions to the inquiry process.
8. Conclusion
This article makes a number of theoretical and practical contributions.
It expands the scope of research about the TAM by examining
it within the context of e-books, focusing on different perspectives of
the LIS community. In addition, it conﬁrms that the TAM, as well as
other characteristics, signiﬁcantly predicts the likelihood of e-book
adoption and it also highlights the importance of further characteristics
when considering technology acceptance. Moreover, the study suggests
that there are differences between the two groups concerning computer
competence, motivation, and challenge. It is likely that that greater exposure
to and experience with e-books may change and improve LIS
students' attitudes towards this technology, and that the resulting
higher level of computer skills will also improve information professionals'
intentions to use e-books. Finally, assuming that using technology
in information organizations may improve work results, the
researchers suggest that directors of information organizations and
LIS departments would be wise to be familiar with both the TAM
and with the issues of computer skills and other characteristics when
recruiting new employees or accepting new students.
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at http://dx.
doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2014.01.001.
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Noa Aharony received her PhD in 2003 from the School of Education at Bar Ilan University,
Israel. Her research interests are in education for library and information science (LIS), information
literacy, and Web 2.0. She is a senior lecturer in the School of Information Science
at Bar Ilan University, and has published in refereed LIS and education journals,
including Library & Information Science Research and College & Research Libraries.
113N. Aharony / Library & Information Science Research 36 (2014) 106–113