www.le.ac.uk/beyonddistancewww.le.ac.uk/duckling

E-Books and E-Readers:For the Librarian’s Consideration

Seminar at the Media ZooBeyond Distance Research AllianceUniversity of Leicester

13-14 October 2010

Terese Bird and Simon KearZooKeepers of the Media Zoo

Programme

1. What is an e-book in 2010?

2. How does one read an e-book in 2010?

3. DUCKLING Project - Distance students and e-book readers

4. Libraries and e-books

5. Publishers and e-books

6. Let’s make an e-book (or download an e-book)

1. What is an e-book in 2010?

Photo: DianthusMoon, flickr

I have a feeling we’re not in NetLibrary anymore…

1. What is an e-book in 2010?

Photo: jaydedman, flickr

1. Downloadable

2. No internet required to read

3. Various formats

a) Epub

b) Mobi Pocket

c) pdf

2. How does one read an e-book in 2010?

On a computer or laptop

1. Calibre

2. Adobe Reader

3. Kindle App

4. Others

2. How does one read an e-book in 2010? (2)

On an e-book reader

1. Amazon Kindle

2. Sony models

3. Sovos

4. Others

2. How does one read an e-book in 2010? (3)

On an iPad

1. Apple iBooks (similar to iTunes idea)

2. Kindle app (Mobi Pocket)

3. Stanza app

4. Individual book apps

Photo: Jon Erickson, flickr

2. How does one read an e-book in 2010? (4)

On a mobile phone

1. iPhone - Stanza, Kindle App

2. Android phones

3. iPod Touch - Stanza, Kindle App

4. Blackberry

5. Windows 7 phone

6. OthersWindows 7 phone photo courtesy of Sam Judson, flickr

3. The DUCKLING Project:Delivering University Curriculum:Knowledge, Learning and INnovation Gains

• 3 distance programmes:– One MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL– Two MSc in Occupational Psychology

• 4 technologies:

Podcasting

Wimba Voice Board

Sony E-book readers

Second Life

E-book readers• 28 Sony PRS-505

• About £150

• Pre-loaded

Photo by Wendigo on Flickr

Course material conversion

Diagram created by Emma Davies and Terese Bird

Calibre is free, open-source, and cross-platform

Convenience• Everything in one device

• Portable

• Long battery life

• ‘Remembers’ where you stopped reading

• “I've also gotten into the habit of carrying my reader with me everywhere, and if I'm in a situation where I'm waiting for 20 minutes I will automatically open the reader.”

Photo by Wolfiewolf on Flickr

Cost and resources

• £600 to print and ship notes

• £240 to buy, load, and ship e-reader

• “I paid about $100 for them to print out [one module’s notes] for me”

• Greener?

Changed study strategy

• The e-book reader changed my way to keep notes and made my study more effective. Before, I used my laptop to write a lot of notes because I feel I will forget the whole thing if I don’t take them down. But taking notes is time-consuming and not that effective because I never really use the notes. With the e-book reader, it’s not very inconvenient to go back to the material on the e-reader, and I can remember where the material was and go back to the module on the e-reader and look through it. As a result of that, I didn’t take a lot of notes and I don’t think that it [not taking notes] makes a difference to my study.

• The e-book reader has changed my approach to how I do assignments to some extent. Previously, I started my assignments after I’ve done all the readings from print. I now start from the assignment and then read the material. I’m being more selective now in what I’m reading, and it’s saving me time in a way. Before I just tried to read everything, I worked a lot harder before but I didn’t really get the grades.

Photo by CarbonNYC on Flickr

E-book readers• Effective for learning

• Effective for saving resources

• Questions?

Photo by Wendigo on Flickr

4. Libraries and E-books

1. Hampshire Digital Library -http://hampshirelibrary.lib.overdrive.com

2. Chicago Public Library - http://overdrive.chipublib.org

4. Libraries and E-books

National Libraries

1. British Library

2. American Library of Congress

5. Publishers and E-books

1. Project Gutenberg www.gutenberg.org - for all devices, all formats

2. Feedbooks.com

3. Manybooks.net

5. Publishers and E-books (2)

1. Google Books

2. Despite recent court settlement, seems to mostly USA-based so far

5. Publishers and E-books (3)

1. Amazon and Kindle

2. Buy online, download onto any device

3. Cheaper than paper books

4. If no e-book, “Tell the Publisher”

5. Publishers and E-books (4)

Apple iBooks

1. Often cheaper than Amazon

2. Buy online, download onto many devices (iPod, iPad, iPhone)

3. Cheaper than paper books

4. Apple muscle pushing publishers

Questions?

Photo by uwdigitalcollections: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23327394@N05/2247503744/

6. Let’s make an ebook

Photo: DianthusMoon, flickr

It can’t be too hardto make an

ebook!