Let’s talk e-books a bit. I still like my Kindle. I read the Emerson and Carlyle letters on it and I must say it has turned out to be very easy to read on the train with mittens on. I also find that reading while eating is much easier because the cover of my Kindle is also a stand I can use to prop it up. Underlining is easy and note taking is relatively easy. But when it comes time to review it all it gets a bit complicated. It is difficult to explain how and why it is complicated because it really shouldn’t be, so let’s just leave it with I find flipping through a paper book with my notes and underlining in it much more convenient.
Did anyone see the article in the New York Times, Does the Brain Like E-Books?. None of the experts really say anything that interesting except Maryanne Wolf, author of Proust and the Squid. David Gelernter is interesting too but that is mostly because he is a professor of computer science at Yale and is pro-paper book and he has an interesting idea about how technology can be integrated into the book as we know and love it. Read the article, see what you think.
There is an interesting project mentioned in the article. The Transliteracies Project is a project of a group of scholars in the University of California system. They are studying online reading from different perspectives. They post the results of their research and their various ongoing studies online so be sure to check them out, it is fascinating stuff. I look forward to delving in to a few of the papers when library school work is done for the quarter (4 weeks!).
And since we are on the topic of e-books and online reading, here’s a little something in case you are wondering how things are going at Cushing Academy, the school that eliminated books from their library in favor of a $12,000 coffee maker and digital books only. Is it a surprise that the response of faculty and students is mixed?
I thought the article in the New York Times was quite fascinating! I am completely in agreeement with Maryanne Wolf that lots of on-screen reading eschews the depth encouraged by the page of the book. I see that with my son. And I also noticed (but didn’t formulate to myself) the fact that I DO read slower on-screen. And I was also very intrigued by the comments of David Gelernter. Now he was talking about developments I really would like to see happen. Thank you for the great link, Stefanie!
That’s an interesting article you’ve linked to. It’s very easy to get distracted when reading online, as there are tabs and links to follow and so I imagine if there are similar features available on an e-reader it would encourage similar click happy behaviour.
For me the biggest problem with e-readers is the asthetics, one wouldn’t fit in my lap in the same way as a book, all books become the same weight and have the same surround (even though you can call up the cover art). It’s picky to disregard technology because it ‘doesn’t look right’ I know but since companies like Apple have spent millions on creating a branded aesthetic that inspires loyalty among some segments of its customers, I think aesthetics are an important part of technology purchases. I think they may be even more important than when you buy a paper book (because I’d certainly still buy an ugly book if it sounded interesting).
I too enjoyed the Times article. I still find myself drawn to the traditional paper book, although I find myself reading either on my laptop or phone more and more frequently. And forget about research, its been 10 years since I set foot in a library to actually do any research, good or bad I do it all online.
Because I work for Kirtas Technologies, a company that digitizes books, I find myself doing more and more reading “on screen” than I ever thought I would. If you are ever looking for a a hard to find book, try http://www.kirtasbooks.com. We currently have over 775K books. And we will actually digitize a book that you choose from our vast collections. We call it Digitize on Demand. From there you can select a digital download, paperback or hardcover reprint.
Those are some cool links, I hadn’t seen them before, thanks for sharing
On the topic of e-books, I have been a “laptop reader” (reading mostly on my laptop) for about 7 years now. It was forced upon me at first, because of some books that I really wanted to read but wasn’t able to find in paper form (long live Project Gutenberg!!), and in time I got quite used to it. I even bought a bunch of devices (no Kindle but I had a Pocket PC at first and now I use a Asus EEE PC) for the times I felt like reading in a more comfortable place than my desk chair, and I am pretty happy with that. What I like most when it comes to e-readers (I love paper boos too, don’t get me wrong) is the vast improvement storage-wise: at the moment I have about 200 books on my PC waiting for me to read them — I shudder to think at their size had they been on paper
THe best part of reading on laptop, or e reader is the ability to increase the font size…for those of us over 40.
I was fascinated by the USA Today article regarding the Cushing Academy’s complete overhall of their library from print to all digital books. I’ve been fascinated with e-books for a while but I’ve never heard of any library that has forgone all print material in favor of digital. Usually most libraries try to incorporate digitial with the print, not ditch the print copies entirely! While I think its a brave decision on the headmaster’s part, I disagree books are actually an “outdated technology”. It maybe dated, but books have been effectively deseminating information for centuries, and although e-books development has made excellent strides, I don’t think they’re at the point where they can surpass print especially in research and academic libraries. Most students and faculty in the studies I’ve read still prefer print articles and books over digital, and even regard digital copies as less authorititative than the print counterparts.
Further I think its dangerous for a library of any kind to place full faith in a digital collection for the sake of prosterity. People don’t understand that one does not buy an e-book the same way you buy a print copy. What you are paying for when you download an e-book for a Kindle is a license to view the material on Amazon’s terms which are in turn in relation to the terms of the publisher. You have less rights to act on your e-book than you have with a print copy, and that should have libraries concerned about what they are actually investing in when they forsake print for digital. I thought it was a tad ironic when the article ended with a reference to George Orwell’s 1984, considering Amazon pulled copies of that and Animal Farm last July because the publisher claimed Amazon was dispensing unauthorized copies of the titles.
I was looking at the Nook on the B&N website and was sorely tempted. I almost ordered it, but my fingers felt kind of prickly and wouldn’t let me actually hit the send button. The idea of having a whole library in my briefcase sounds appealing. But what about the smell and feel of a book? Isn’t that part of the companionship of books? We used to use a law library to do our research. I loved the dusty, sneeziness. But it took forever, and then you had to go through that awful Shepardizing thingy. Although we now research everything through Westlaw and do not keep a library I still have to print out the case, to hold it and mark it up and make my notes and put big stars at the really good bits. Can’t the e-book and the printed page live happily together? I mean, sure it’s great to dine at a 5 star restaurant and be waited on like a prince, but sometimes you just want a Quarter Pounder thrown at you as you sail through the drive-thru.
I wonder if Cushing’s library is getting more use now that they’ve gone nearly all digital. Are their Kindles circulating more than books? It would be interesting to hear a comparison. Somehow, though, it seems telling that the talk is all about the coffee machine–I had to laugh that the students have renamed it the 12K Cafe. I just don’t understand why it has to be all one way or the other. Why can’t both formats be used and embraced?
Sony eReader makes a much larger THUD noise when I fall asleep reading.
Now I really want my local library to get an espresso machine. But not ditch their books! I never have read a book online yet, I start them……..and wander off. Also I have to sit up at a computer and it’s just a PITA.
Am I the one in a thousand who cruises bookshelves looking for the odd book? I can’t count the number of books that I’ve fallen in love with merely due to their proximity to other books. Don’t start me on how I miss the card catalog….
But we’re not “born to read’? Oh noes!
Litlove, I am so glad you enjoyed the article. I have noticed as well how much slower I read on a screen. I find the lack of in-depth thinking a worrisome issue. I hope educators are keeping tabs on it and working to counter-act it!
Jodie, you make some good points. When I read on my laptop I am always interrupting myself–oh look I got an email, I’ll only play this game for a minute, and on and on. I think aesthetics are very important. Even if your book cover is ugly, the book itself is a pleasing form. e-readers haven’t quite got the form down yet nor do they have pleasing covers to distract us from that fact.
Todd, as someone who is in library you break my heart that you’ve not been into a library for so long. But at the same time I understand. And thanks for the information about Kirtas.
Kay, isn’t Project Gutenberg fantastic? I haven’t bought a single book for my Kindle, I’ve been downloading books from Project Gutenberg. I find when I am at the bookstore I am no longer tempted by older classics because I can store them on my Kindle and save the shelves for newer books.
Katherine, I do believe Cushing is the first and only library connected to an institution that is all digital. You make a good point on about the difference in the way we treat digital items and physical items. Contrary to what many believe, digital does not last forever. And you are right about e-books and many digital assets being licensed and not owned. I makes a world of difference when it comes to the legal side of things. Isn’t Amazon’s 1984 blunder ironic?
Grad, the Nook is very appealing, I can understand your temptation. Digital resources has really helped the legal profession. We struggle to teach law students to not rely entirely on Westlaw and Lexis especially if they are planning on working in a small firm or on their own. So expensive! I had to laugh at your final sentence, yeah, sometimes you do just want dinner thrown at you from the drive through window
Danielle, it sounded like the library was getting used more but not as a library, more like a snack bar and place to hang out. I’d be interested to know about their Kindle circulation too. We just bought three at my university undergrad library and at the moment I think the staff are using them more than the students.
Carrie, I’d love for the library where I work to have an espresso machine too. They can even install it next to my desk if they want to
Reading books online is definitely hard. My attention wanders when I read articles for school. I don’t think you are alone in you bookshelf cruising, I do it frequently myself.
It’s interesting to me that when it comes to writing reviews, the Kindle makes things complicated, and I’m curious about why, although I can understand it’s hard to explain. I think I would want to flip through a book to remind me of earlier sections and to hunt down underlined parts, if I’ve underlined anything. I think I’d miss the ability to flip through pages fast and skim, if that is really not possible on a Kindle, which, the truth is, I really don’t know!
Dorothy, I will work on trying to explain why the Kindle makes writing reviews complicated. Maybe in the process I’ll figure out a way to make it easier! But it does have a lot to do with not being able to flip through the pages.
I think your experience is a big reason why I’m not on board with readers. They are aptly named—they’re good for reading but not much else. I sense intuitively (since I don’t have one to try) that any task other than reading one page after another is going to be complicated on an e-reader. I’m glad to hear that annotating is easy. If they can figure out a way to mimic flipping through pages I would be more interested. It could never replace my library, though, because of the impermanence of electronic media.
I just had a thought. If publishing starts gearing towards e-readers with search functions, will that be the last nail in the coffin for indexes? That would be a real shame.
I can’t imagine a school with no library! But I always spent a lot of time there when I was a student….
I don’t have an e-book reader but I can imagine it’s hard to write a review — same with audiobooks for me.
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