eBook Readers @ NCSU Libraries:

Past, Present & FutureOrion Pozo &

David Woodburywith Lauren Upchurch

Books Are Born Digital

Ebook Readers & paper books are just ways to display digital content.

1st Generation eBook Readers - 1998

Ebook Readers first appeared in 1998

2nd Gen E-Paper Readers – 2006-07

Sony LIBRIé - 2006 Amazon Kindle - 2007

NCSU EBook Readers Timeline

March 2008 – NCSU orders 2 Sony Readers & 3 Amazon Kindles

April 2008 – Readers Arrive, 3 More Kindles Ordered

May 2008 – Loaning Begins

September 2008 – 12 More Kindles Purchased to Meet Demand

February 2009 – 12 Kindle 2s Purchased

May 2009 – Title Purchasing Stops Due to Budget Cuts

Summer 2009 – Technology Lending Moves to Access & Delivery Services

August 2009 – 6 Kindle DXs Purchased

October 2009 – Title Purchasing Resumes

Checking Out A Kindle Video

Ebook Reader Users

Seniors, Graduate Students largest groups of Kindle borrowers

Books Purchased for Kindles by Month

Average Titles per Month = 28. Average Cost = $10.20

Fiction/Nonfiction

Slightly More Fiction Than Nonfiction Selected by Users

Genres & Categories

User-Selected Titles Represent Wide Variety of Interests

Print Availability

At time of purchase, only 15% of Kindle titles available in print @ NCSU Libraries

Why use an eBook Reader?

• Easy to get titles not otherwise available from the Libraries

• Text is easier to read on these devices• Can load a wide variety of text content– PDFs– ePub– DRMed

• Devices connect easily to lots of content

Drawbacks of eBook Readers

• E-ink technology is still new– Black and white (for now)– Slow to refresh– Devices fail (paper doesn’t)

• Readers and purchased books are tied to specific vendors and file types

• Expensive• Can’t do everything a netbook or iPod Touch

can do

eBook Reader capabilitiesKindle 2 Kindle DX Sony Touch

EditionSony Daily Edition

Nook iPad/iPod Touch

Price $259 $489 $299 $399 $259 $499+/$199+

Available @ NCSU?

Yes (12) Yes (6) Yes (1) No Yes (1) Soon/Yes

Screen 6” e-ink 9.7” e-ink 6” e-ink touch

7.1” e-ink touch

6” e-ink/small LCD

9.7”/3.5” LCD touch

How well do PDFs display?

** *** *** ** ** ***/****?

ePub No No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Wireless EVDO EVDO 3G 3G 3G/WiFi WiFi &3g/WiFi

Good for? Paid titles Larger text pages

Pub Domain Books, Notes

PDFs, Notes ePub & Paid Titles

All

Free content for ereaders!

• Google Books books.google.com – Also works on mobile devices:

www.books.google.com/m • Project Gutenberg www.gutenberg.org• Springer Library & Morgan & Claypool

Synthesis (via www.lib.ncsu.edu)

eBook Reader apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad

• Stanza - www.lexcycle.com (free)– Great for reading materials in all DRM-free formats

• Kindle - www.amazon.com (free)– Good for Amazon content but everything is DRMed,

syncs to Amazon• Barnes & Noble eReader - www.bn.com (free)– Good for B&N content, syncs to B & N

• iBooks (for iPad)– Apple’s new eBook store

• CourseSmart www.coursesmart.com– Textbook ereader

Next Generation Reading?

• Blio eReader software blioreader.com – Multiple device support

• Vook interactive eBooks www.vook.com – Includes video content

embedded within the text

Next Generation Reading?

NCSU Librariesproviding content in new formats