Beyond Method #6: eBooks & eReaders and libraries, oh my!

Discovery Exercise:

1. Read this post by Meredith Farkas on eBooks and libraries. This article really made me think a lot about the implications of e-books for libraries. So far, my thoughts had been primarily about e-books for individuals. Lots of advantages there: lightweight, instant gratification for those who can afford it, easy on the eye, an so forth. Hadn't thought so much about the future of inter-library loan, the desire of e-reader providers to keep libraries out of the picture, the issue of browsing for information, long-term preservation of information, issues of "renting" vs. "owning" the materials, etc. It will be a challenge for future librarians to maximize the benefits for customers.
2. Go to Project Gutenberg.
3. Do a basic search for a classic or public domain work.   I searched for Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I could read the book directly online, in a really basic font that was not appealing. I found I could download multiple results, including some in other languages than English (e.g. German and Dutch) and some audio (MP3, iTunes, and other options). I chose the most downloaded "print" choice, and found selections in HTML, EPUB, Kindle, and more.
4. Click on the title of the work to open up the book record. I clicked on the EPUB edition, and it opened very quickly on my laptop with Adobe Digital Editions.  I assume that if I had a Kindle I would click on the download link that says "Kindle."
5. Open up the basic HTML version of the text.  Do you find this easy to read? It opened instantly, and looked about the same as the EPUB text, but was much easier to scroll through than the EPUB version. The file size was much larger (1.1 MB for HTML vs. 441 kB for EPUB). I must say, though, I really miss the beautiful colored illustrations that were in my grandmother's thick old leather-bound edition!
6. Add a link to the book record that you viewed:  HTML version     Project Gutenberg was easy to use. Customers would be interested in a public domain service like Project Gutenberg if they needed a copy of a classic book quickly. I don't have an e-reader (yet) so I can't practice the full download process. This is actually a BIG drawback for many of us trying to keep current in order to help customers. Basically though, it looks like the steps are having the right software loaded, identifying the right format for the material, downloading it to a PC, and transferring it to an e-reader device.  [Note: Two days after I finished this exercise, I had a teen customer who was desperate to begin reading "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad for a class the next day. Since everyone else in her class had the same need, we had no more print copies to check out. I showed her how to get to Project Gutenberg, and she was a happy camper.]