Lydbogsbrugere og folkebiblioteket

The use of audiobooks has risen significantly during the last few years in Sweden, a trend reflected in increasing demands for public libraries to provide their users with these books. Digital books are by no means a new phenomenon in public libraries, but the marked interest in borrowing audiobooks and new ways of distributing have led to changes in public libraries’ digital services and a redistribution of media budgets. This article describes who the audiobook users are and which other media they use. Building on this information, the article asks what challenges the demographic data of audiobook users – such as gender, age, and level of education – may pose for public libraries. Based on a quantitative analysis of survey data from Sweden, it is concluded that audiobook use is more common among young, well-educated people with a high level of digital literacy. Subscription services appear to be more popular among audiobook users, as their sale numbers are higher than lending numbers at public libraries. Nevertheless, the conclusions are that audiobooks have a place in public libraries, as they increase the service to communities and have the potential to reach new users. However, it is unclear if public libraries are reaching new groups by offering audiobooks; although the use of digital public library services is increasing, these services are mainly used by people who are already library visitors, and the public library seems to be primarily associated with the printed book

Knjižarstvo i e-knjige u Švedskoj

This paper addresses the issue of the understanding of the book-selling situation as Swedish booksellers see it. It pursues the answers to the following questions: What are the perceptions of Swedish booksellers of the impact of e-books on their business? What drivers are important for Swedish booksellers for adopting and developing e-book sales through their own sales channels? What do they perceive as barriers to e-book selling through their own channels? The authors have employed the analysis of the secondary statistical data and a survey of Swedish booksellers to answer their questions. The results of the investigation have shown that the Swedish booksellers do not feel their bookshops, or business in general, are threatened by e-books. The opinions on e-books do not differ between the few selling e-books and others who do not offer this product. The reasons for selling e-books are well-functioning routines and personal interest in the product. The reasons for not selling the books are the lack of demand and technical resources as well as contractual agreements with e-book publishers or vendors. So, technical resources for e-book sales, routines, and contracts with publishers are the main premises for this activity. The biggest barriers to e-book sales are: a) the price as one can see not only in the answers of the booksellers, but also in the drop of sales obviously related to the rise of prices during 2014; b) lack of demand from customers who do not enquire about e-books in bookshops. This leads to the belief that e-books will be sold mostly online either directly from publishers and authors or through online booksellers. However, an equal number of booksellers believe that physical bookshops will be selling printed books and e-books in the future. The future of e-books seems to be quite secure and non-threatening to printed books from the point of view of booksellers. The growth of e-book sales is quite slow and the respondents believe that it will increase at a moderate rate.U radu se analiziraju stavovi švedskih knjižara o sljedećim pitanjima: 1) poimanju utjecaja e-knjiga na knjižarstvo, 2) čimbenicima koji su im važni za usvajanje i razvoj prodaje e-knjiga kroz vlastite prodajne kanale i 3) preprekama prodaji e-knjiga kroz vlastite prodajne kanale. Da bi odgovorili na navedena pitanja, autori rada primijenili su metode analize sekundarnih statističkih podataka i anketiranja švedskih knjižara. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da švedski knjižari ne smatraju kako su njihove knjižare ili posao općenito ugrožene e-knjigama. Mišljenja o e-knjigama ne razlikuju se između nekolicine knjižara koji prodaju e-knjige i onih koji ih ne nude. Razlozi za prodaju e-knjiga su dobro uhodani postupci i osobni interes prema proizvodu. Razlozi onih koji ne prodaju e-knjige su nedostatak zahtjeva za takvim proizvodom i tehničkih resursa, kao i ugovori s nakladnicima ili distributerima e-knjiga. Dakle, tehnički resursi za prodaju e-knjiga, uhodani postupci i ugovori s nakladnicima glavni su preduvjeti za njihovu prodaju. Najveće prepreke prodaji e-knjiga su: a) cijena, što je vidljivo ne samo iz odgovora knjižara, nego i iz pada prodaje očigledno povezanog s rastom cijena tijekom 2014. i b) nedostatak potražnje jer kupci u knjižarama ne traže e-knjige. Iz navedenog se može zaključiti da će se e-knjige prodavati uglavnom online izravno od nakladnika ili autora ili putem online knjižara. Međutim, jednaki broj knjižara vjeruje da će fizičke knjižare u budućnosti prodavati i tiskane i e-knjige. Iz perspektive knjižara, budućnost e-knjiga se čini prilično sigurna i ne predstavlja prijetnju tiskanim knjigama. Rast prodaje e-knjiga je spor, a ispitanici vjeruju kako će rasti umjerenim tempom

Kvalitetssäkring av frukt- och bärväxter

Projektet har genomförts som ett partnerskapsprojekt där vi dragit nytta av olika deltagares kompetens och resurser. Partners har varit Elitplantstation-en, E-planta, Fritidsodlingens Riksorganisation, Hushållningssällskapet Rådgivning Nord, HIR Malmöhus samt SLU. Syftet med projektet har varit att tillhandahålla ett modernt växtsortiment som är kvalitetssäkrat och som svarar mot de krav som plantproducenter och olika växtanvändare har. Vik-tiga mål i projektet har varit att ta fram ett hållbart system för att utvärdera nya frukt- och bärväxter, utarbeta ett protokoll för utvärdering av växtegen-skaper, genomföra en analys av befintligt sortiment, insamla och påbörja utvärdering av nytt intressant växtmaterial samt kommunicera verksamhet och resultat med producenter, handel och växtanvändare. Resultaten visar att det finns ett stort behov av att förnya sortimentet och omfattningen av det insamlade växtmaterialet tyder på att det finns goda utsikter att hitta bra och intressant material av frukt- och bär-sorter som passar för svenskt klimat. Modellen för införande av nytt växtmaterial inom frukt- och bär i Sverige omfattar insamling, testodling, dokumentering, utvärdering och information

Development and validation of a new clinical decision support tool to optimize screening for retinopathy of prematurity

Background/Aims Prematurely born infants undergo costly, stressful eye examinations to uncover the small fraction with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) that needs treatment to prevent blindness. The aim was to develop a prediction tool (DIGIROP-Screen) with 100% sensitivity and high specificity to safely reduce screening of those infants not needing treatment. DIGIROP-Screen was compared with four other ROP models based on longitudinal weights. Methods Data, including infants born at 24–30 weeks of gestational age (GA), for DIGIROP-Screen development (DevGroup, N=6991) originate from the Swedish National Registry for ROP. Three international cohorts comprised the external validation groups (ValGroups, N=1241). Multivariable logistic regressions, over postnatal ages (PNAs) 6–14 weeks, were validated. Predictors were birth characteristics, status and age at first diagnosed ROP and essential interactions. Results ROP treatment was required in 287 (4.1%)/6991 infants in DevGroup and 49 (3.9%)/1241 in ValGroups. To allow 100% sensitivity in DevGroup, specificity at birth was 53.1% and cumulatively 60.5% at PNA 8 weeks. Applying the same cut-offs in ValGroups, specificities were similar (46.3% and 53.5%). One infant with severe malformations in ValGroups was incorrectly classified as not needing screening. For all other infants, at PNA 6–14 weeks, sensitivity was 100%. In other published models, sensitivity ranged from 88.5% to 100% and specificity ranged from 9.6% to 45.2%. Conclusions DIGIROP-Screen, a clinical decision support tool using readily available birth and ROP screening data for infants born GA 24–30 weeks, in the European and North American populations tested can safely identify infants not needing ROP screening. DIGIROP-Screen had equal or higher sensitivity and specificity compared with other models. DIGIROP-Screen should be tested in any new cohort for validation and if not validated it can be modified using the same statistical approaches applied to a specific clinical setting

Selling and lending e-books : Changes in the Swedish literary field

This study explores the actors distributing e-books in the Swedish book market. The focus was on public libraries and booksellers, which included aggregators, subscription services, online booksellers and physical bookshops. Field theory (Bourdieu, 1996) was used in order to investigate the positions, dispositions and capitals (social, cultural, economic and symbolic) of the actors in the literary field. Innovation theory (Winston, 1998) was used to identify the suppression of radical potential and supervening social necessity of the e-book on the Swedish book market. Different strategies utilised by the actors in the changing digital market were explored using the concepts of planned and emergent strategies (Mintzberg, 2003). A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used for the data collection. Surveys were used in order to reach a large portion of the respondents and semi-structured interviews were added to reach additional respondents and get further in-depth responses. Key findings revealed that the e-book distributors in the Swedish book market maintain their positions by adapting to the changing digital market. There are two main strategies found in regard to e-book use: the first in which the use of e-books is encouraged in order to maintain relevance for customers and library users; the second in which physical bookshops and some public libraries are passive and do not encourage the use of e-books when it comes to their customers and library users. The risk of disintermediation was considered to be low and was really only the concern of one aggregator who was the mediator of e-books between publishers and public libraries and booksellers. The tensions found mainly concerned the availability of e-book titles and conditions of selling, licensing, lending and use of e-book titles as dictated by the most powerful actors in the field. There were ideological tensions which emerged with e-book lending which were not present with print book lending (at least not from the beginning of the 20th century). Booksellers considered that e-book lending was unfair competition as the principle of one book and one loan was no longer valid given that e-books can be lent out to several library users simultaneously. Public libraries were worried about the better usability and technological advantages offered by commercial e-book providers as they offered more attractive options to their users. The findings illustrate that there were social necessities pushing and radical potential suppressing e-books on the Swedish book market, which were sometimes created by the same actors. The study contributes to research that explores how actors in small language markets, like the Swedish book market, can deal with the changes brought on by the digital production and distribution of books

Main actors in provision of fiction e-books in a small language market : a Swedish case

One of the consequences of the “small language” phenomenon is that the Swedish book industry is prey to the negative effects of globalization, since books have an international market and a Swedish multilingual citizen can buy e-books from international online booksellers. Publications in the local language are potentially in competition with books in English, and a local publisher or bookseller is competing with international publishers and Amazon.comSponsorship:Vetenskapsrådet</p

E-book distribution in Sweden

E-books in small language cultur

E-book distribution in Sweden

E-books in small language cultur

Main actors in provision of fiction e-books in a small language market : a Swedish case

One of the consequences of the “small language” phenomenon is that the Swedish book industry is prey to the negative effects of globalization, since books have an international market and a Swedish multilingual citizen can buy e-books from international online booksellers. Publications in the local language are potentially in competition with books in English, and a local publisher or bookseller is competing with international publishers and Amazon.comSponsorship:Vetenskapsrådet</p