News & Views, August 2010 (mp3 file; 4 MB; 4:17 min.)eBooks, eTc.; Dinosaurs Storytime Kit
The library and publishing worlds are all abuzz about eBooks. I’m hearing questions from librarians who have questions themselves, or are getting questions from patrons. What eReader should I buy? Where can I get eBooks? Should libraries loan eReaders?
We discussed all of that in an online class last month and librarians from all sizes and types of libraries attended. With many small libraries in Iowa, naturally the question of resources comes up. How can a small library with a limited budget hope to provide this new service to its patrons? (For that matter, how can a large library with limited resources offer this service?)
I think there are at least two ways that a library of any size can help its patrons.
First, be familiar with resources that can help them make decisions about which eReader they might want to buy. Even among the most popular 3 or 4 there are enough differences that what is perfect for one person won’t work for another person as well. Check the blog for some links to resources. And become familiar yourself with the factors that they will want to look at--you don’t even have to be absolutely current with the features of all the readers, just be able to suggest that they might want to consider font sizes available, or the quality of the display, or if they want 3G or wi fi access to download books. If they want to download books from NEIBORS or WILBOR or netLibrary then some eReaders will work and some will not.
Secondly, if patrons are looking for freely available books to download and the library can’t afford a subscription to an ebook service such as Overdrive or netLibrary, consider joining WILBOR consortium, which will soon be offering eBooks as well as audiobooks. If that is still beyond your library’s resources at the moment, there are many sites that offer free ebooks to download. Many of them are classics that are in the public domain, but publishers and authors are now beginning to offer new titles in digital format, and for free. (Yes, often they are doing it to get you hooked on a new series, but a free eBook is a free eBook!) You could keep a list of those sites and providers for your patrons who have eReaders or want to read books on their computers.
There are currently debates about many things about eBooks and ePublshing and libraries and I’ll leave those debates to a different venues. Ebooks are in libraries, and patrons are reading them in increasing numbers. They are yet another format and service that we can offer them. If you’d like to join the mail list of Iowa librarians learning about and discussing eBooks in libraries, join the ebooks mail list!
Links from Today's Podcast:
- Archive/Recording of eBooks class
- Resources on eBooks, ePublshing, eReaders (on the LSA U class resources page)
