As I read all these great articles and comments, I was struck by a thought. Don't worry it didn't hurt...much. Anyway with libraries trying to be Green and many going for LEED Certification (A type of Green Library Certification http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Libraries#LEED )
is there an environmental aspect to e-books verses printed? And I found a number of articles one of them at http://www.ecolibris.net/ebooks.aspIts interesting even some stats. Also here's another one:
Short answer is yes they are considered by many to be more environmentally friendly. There are a number of factors that determine a libraries connection to ebooks, its patrons first, things like its budget, staff ability, etc and perhaps this? I did find an interesting website by the American Library Association for a task force dedicated to environmental concerns http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/srrt/tfoe/taskforceenvironment.cfm
Very interesting reading, it looks like environmental concern could be a factor. How much of one I expect depends on the library and its circumstances. Any thoughts? Please feel free to use the comment button below.
As smartphones gain popularity with soccer moms as well as tech nerds, more and more apps are being created to help busy parents successfully manage their households. Among these apps are several which give helpful recipes, videos, photographs, and interactive shopping lists to help people prepare gourmet meals with relative ease.
In a New York Times article, writer Julia Moskin asks readers to ponder the question, "Are Cookbooks Obsolete?" We've already been forced to face the possibility of a future without paper literature, but is this another genre bound to suffer the same fate?
I admit the idea of an electronic cookbook has its charms. Having the ability to access instructional videos to help the reader accomplish an unfamiliar culinary task would do wonders for cooking novices like me. Also, I imagine having access to electronic cooking apps would provide "readers" with a greater selection of recipes to choose from. Besides, this is hardly a new idea, as for years now television channels and websites such as Food Network have been providing essentially the same service.
But are there people out there who cling to their cookbooks as strongly as I cling to my Harry Potter hardcovers? Is there a quality of the paper books that would be impossible for digital resources to duplicate? And somehow I imagine an iPhone or iPad isn't nearly as forgiving as a relatively inexpensive book when it comes to spills and drops in the kitchen...
Does anyone here see electronic formats of cookbooks replacing paper copies on library shelves any time soon? Can anyone think of any other benefits or drawbacks for switching formats? Please feel free to comment below.
For those who may not know the Luddites were a group in England in the 19th century who destroyed mechanized looms (these guys were textile artisans) for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddites
Thanks to Dr. Janik, a professor at Wayne University for reminding me of them, the lesson they teach is still relevant even today.
These guys were seeing their whole livelihood being tossed out the window with the industrial revolution. No way that they could keep up as they were. There wasn't a lot of support at the time for retraining even for those who would have been interested. All these highly trained textile people knew was that the one set of skills that had seen them through their entire lives was now worthless. And so some did not react well, they protested and smashed property. This did not stop the march of technology, however. The thing is if something is reliable, cheap, easy to use, and helpful in some way its going to take off. Hard to avoid this.
Now while I don't expect librarians etc to start pitching computers and E-book readers out 20 story windows or some such, there are ways to drag ones feet when it comes to new technology. There are many reasons for this from unfamiliarity to outright dislike. Librarians are people too and as a rule not everyone is fond of every change coming down the pike. Now I say that but I don't mean to hint that all tech is good, neither is it bad though. What it requires is a careful review of its strengths and weaknesses to determine if it is indeed truly better or simply new and shiny.
Of course to do that requires a great deal of dedication to learning something new. Now one wouldn't think in a field where information is so key and sought after that learning something new with technology would be a problem but it can be. Sometimes its staff concerned about a new technology and sometimes its lack of budget but when it comes to E-books and other electric technologies not all libraries are created equal.
Despite this the library field has seen a lot of change from handwritten books to printed books from books of ones catalog to little cards. Electronic databases are not that old, my point being if one looks over the history of this field that will find time and again where they've adapted some new technology to help make things more efficient or better for their patrons. I expect with push comes to shove, the same thing will happen with E-books. Once the bulk of the concerns over E-Readers are addressed.
For example, If they settle in price and reliability they will get more use. If one doesn't have to buy multiple E-readers to have the books they want (some e-readers will not have the ability to have certain books), they'd get more use. If artificial limitations on download...well you get the idea. Currently E-Readers is not the uber shiny thing we'd all like it to be so I doubt it will over come other mediums just yet. However it is popular enough to but one tool in a library's kit in its effort to serve its community. And as such we need to understand all strengths and weaknesses, it is not something that can be ignored. I don't think it can be stopped, After all if its raining and I have to be outside, normally I grab an umbrella not simply stand there and wish for it to be sunny. Actually I might grab an umbrella and wish for it to be sunny. Point being somethings simply have to be dealt with, ignore at ones own peril.
New technology is great and it will be important to keep up on it, analyze it. Not the most exciting for some but in this world of forever change, it seems wise to keep a look out ahead so as not to trip over the rocks in the path.
Collection development is one of the
most important aspects of the LIS profession. Being aware of and
responding to the needs of your patrons is what keeps a library
relevant to a community. How does the amazing growth in popularity
of e-books affect a library's collection?
A bit of anecdotal information to get
us started: the public library where I work will sometimes purchase
four copies of a title by our most popular authors: a traditional
print copy, a large print edition, an audio version, and now an
e-book. This model seems to be working as we have large segments of
our population that only use large print or audio materials, and a
growing portion that only accesses materials from our downloadable
catalog.
This balance works now, but as the
popularity of e-readers continues to grow (I think it's a pretty safe
bet the trend will continue over the near future), will it work in
the future? And, it's a model that works with popular adult fiction.
What about nonfiction? Or juvenile materials? These are collections
that don't often see multiple copies purchased, so the decision may
have to be made: a physical or e-version? The same question will be
asked of those popular titles during the weeding process: does a
library need both a physical and e-version?
These questions are new in this
context, but library professionals in charge of reference collections
have been asking them for years. With the increase in number of home
computers and the amount of information readily and freely available
online, there has been a sharp decline in the use of physical
reference materials. Technology has changed the way we research. We
don't have to go to the library and sort through old volumes until we
find the answer; we can search specialized databases from home and
print off full-text articles. The money that was spent on reference
materials is now split between the physical books and subscriptions
to online databases and search engines. So, while the amount of
information hasn't decreased (maybe it has even increased), the
amount of space in the library given to the reference collection has
shrunk.
Are we at a similar point with the
general collection? Now, for most libraries, the amount spent on
purchasing e-books is a small fraction of the total book-purchasing
budget, but that is likely to change as the popularity of e-books and
e-readers continues to increase. And has that happens, LIS
professionals will have to adapt the way they view collection
development and respond appropriately to the desires of their
patrons.
References:
Braun, L. W. (2011). Now is the time:
E-books, teens, and libraries. Young Adult Library Services, 9(4), 27-30.
Farkas,
M. (2011). Let's not borrow trouble. American Libraries,
42(3/4), 24.
Not all librarians are holding their bound books closely to their heart while throwing all Kindles into a burning pit. Librarians at the University of Texas at San Antonio have embraced e-books, e-readers, and e-journals as the major mode of accessing information within the library. In fact, all printed materials have been shipped to a local storage unit. The materials are kept safely, and used only if students insist on adopting the archaic method of accessing information—reading it from a book.
San Antonio’s Associate Dean of Libraries, Krisellen Maloney, feels that books don’t make the library; there are other important factors that make a library a success. “As a shared space for discovery, socializing, and studying, the library is still very much relevant and in demand,” Maloney states, “When people come to the library with books, they’re not necessarily using the books. They’re also there for the services — to consult, get instruction, find content, and use the content.”
Whether one feels that a bookless library is a wonderful step toward the future, or a radical venture that should be avoided, the University of Texas at San Antonio demonstrates that new technology does not make librarians obsolete. Librarians have played an integral role within the education field in the past and will continue to do the same in the future.
There is a debate as to whether e-books and e-readers cancel out the modern librarian, making libraries and those within them obsolete. There are many different perspectives concerning this topic. But, let’s say the physical/traditional book does become obsolete—should public libraries be threatened by fear of a negative impact on the profession? Or, could this new age of technology present a unique opportunity for public librarians, especially libraries in struggling neighborhoods?
Some might not be convinced about the depth of the digital divide upon hearing of it. We see many teens, and even young children, from all backgrounds and economic statuses, who carry around high-tech phones and speak about the latest technology with ease. We may think, “Things are okay. Any digital divide present is a small issue that doesn’t impact my community.” In reality, the digital divide is ever present and it affects many. Author Denise Augusto gives two eye-opening scenarios that illustrate the digital divide very clearly and shows the punitive effect it can have on a community:
Branch #1
This first branch is located in a middle class neighborhood where most residents hold working class or professional class jobs, and most families live in single-family dwellings. The librarian I
interviewed estimated that roughly half of the households in the community have home Internet access. The branch serves a population of about 4,800. It has six computers for the public, each new, relatively high-powered, and equipped with flashy, over-sized flat screens. There are also four Internet access computers just for staff use, and one more computer just for OPAC access. There is almost always a waiting list for the Internet, and use is limited to 30 minutes per day per patron. Overall, this library has adequate digital access and can generally serve the public's needs, although more computers and longer use times would certainly benefit patrons without home computers.
Branch #2
This branch is located in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood where the average household income is well below the poverty level. It sits on a block in which a number of the buildings are
abandoned. A large portion of the community is unemployed, living in government-assisted housing, and/or homeless. This little branch library, no larger than a store in a strip mall, is
the only local library for a community of 45,000 people, making its service area the largest of any branch library in the city. Although the librarian I interviewed stated that virtually no community households have computers, the library has dismal digital resources. It has only three computers available for public use, and no computers for staff use. These three computers are old cast-offs from another library, and only one of the three works. That means that this one, slow, out-of-date computer provides computer/Internet access for a community of 45,000, as well as for the entire library staff. Computer-assisted reference is out of the question since a member of the public is almost always using the computer. Few of the schools in the neighborhood have libraries, much less plentiful computers with Internet access, so the public library is really the
only place to use computers. But there aren't any worth using.
Augusto makes it very clear that libraries located in areas that have more “economic strength” tend to get more resources for their patrons. The digital divide is a serious issue in our technology focused world.
How does the digital divide assure that public libraries can survive, even if e-books, e-readers take precedence over physical books? There will always be an under served community that needs public resources to mitigate the effects of poverty and unequal access. Communities that are unable to afford home Internet access, personal computers, e-books, and e-readers will naturally turn to the public library for support and guidance. In the event that physical books or music compact discs are no longer available, a reallocation of funds and additional government support would allow public libraries to focus on e-book technology and personal computing needs, making the library the epicenter of technology education. A new age of e-books and e-readers could allow public libraries to focus all, or most, of their funding on educating the public about technology.
If public libraries within economically weak neighborhoods are motivated to become the hub of technology education, then librarians become key educators within the community, increasing the worth of the public librarian. Just as past librarians were needed to navigate shelves of books and reference materials, future librarians will be severely needed to navigate through digital information and tools. E-books and e-readers could increase the demand for tech-savvy librarians who want to educate those within the digital divide.
The reality is, at some point, all libraries will be forced to focus reasonable attention to e-book technology. Public librarians can look at this impending change as a way to provide and serve patrons who desperately need training, to prevent these patrons from falling deeper within the digital divide. Librarians can also view e-book technology as a technology that increases their worth and has a very positive impact on the profession.
Reference:
Augusto, Denise E. “The Digital Divide and Public Libraries: a first hand view.” Progressive Librarian, No.25, Summer 2005, 23-27.
As one can see the effect of e-books and their related technologies are complicated. On one hand we've got Pottermore which sounds like more show then substance but could hopefully lead more people to the books. On the other if books were not in e-book format some persons simply wouldn't read them. Its a thorny issue and one so complicated the American Library Association has a website where its pulled together a number of sources to help libraries keep ahead of this ever changing topic. Its located: http://www.emergingissues.ala.org/ebooks-and-libraries/
One can find all sorts of good information there. Personally I was surprised by some of it. One thing I learned was that e-books are limited. See what happens is a library gets so many copies of a particular e-book and if they are all checked out there is still a waiting list. I know limits on electronic information surprised me too. In fact Harper-Collins has it so that after 26 uses a copy of an e-book would expire and would have to be re-bought. I personally don't see the point to quote the article I read this in this number was based on, “The president of sales for Harper Collins told Library Journal the limit “was arrived at after considering a number of factors, including the average lifespan of a print book, and wear and tear on circulating copies.” (http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2011/0228/Limits-on-library-e-books-stir-controversy)
Ok let get get this right. The electronic version has to take into account real life wear and tear, despite the fact that it can't 'wear out'?.That doesn't make sense until one considers that publishers are in it to make money. After all if they can fix it so you have to keep 'rebuying' the same book as its original copy expires then they don't lose money with e-books because they can treat it like their other, more material selections. Now there may be other considerations that I'm missing and I am open to discussing them but I can't help but feel this artificial limitation hinders a libraries use of e-books and in this day of decreasing budgets that can be a problem considering cost of high technologies.
Publishers of e-books are a big concern of librarians, after all librarians may be seen as the gatekeepers of information but who do you think gets the information to the gate? If all one has to work with is round pegs one is not going to be able to make use of a square hole for example. Until publishers get more on board with working with libraries, I believe some still haven't made their e-books available, then libraries are going to be limited in what they can do.
Confession: The writer of this blog is a tiny bit obsessed with the Harry Potter books. She may have spent a small fortune on Warner Brothers-licensed Harry Potter merchandise, and she may have spent a few too many midnights waiting in lines at bookstores and movie theaters. The writer might have even completed an honors-level college course devoted exclusively to the works of J.K. Rowling--and maybe even helped give an hour-long lecture on religion in the series for said course. So it was only natural she spent a couple sleepless nights online this summer seeking the quill that granted a million lucky Harry fans early entry into Rowling's latest Potter project, Pottermore.
Calling it, "An online reading experience unlike any other," Pottermore is supposed to be a revolutionary method of connecting with literature. Citing the magic that already exists between a good piece of writing and readers, Rowling hopes her new project will build upon the imagination and make the story even more vivid for readers. Rowling elaborates, "It's the same story, with a few crucial additions: the most important one is you."
The premise of Pottermore is relatively simple. For every chapter of every book in the series, there are a number of interactive pages that give a rough outline of what happens. Before you advance into the next chapter, you must go on a treasure hunt and find items hidden in the pages--collectible chocolate frog cards, spell books, galleons, etc. Once in a great while you might find a clue that unlocks special content from J.K., where she provides never before seen insight into events or characters from the books. The relics you collect go into your trunk where you may either show them off to friends or give them as virtual gifts, and the coins you find may be put toward even more virtual merchandise from Diagon Alley.
Call me old fashioned, but since when does this sort of thing classify as "reading?" On average, you're lucky to see three actual quotations taken from the series for each chapter, with the rest of what happens explained by pretty little animations. Sparknotes gives a more complete depiction of the plot, which is just plain sad considering Rowling is so involved with the project. I think the term "scavenger hunt" is a more accurate designation for what "readers" are actually doing on Pottermore.
And Rowling's description of Pottermore as being a safe digital community for Potter fans to connect over their shared love of the books? Not so much. To begin with, you don't even have a choice as to what your identity on the site is--I morphed from Allie to BloodSun35 because that was what the site randomly named me. I was only able to connect with my college friend (From this point forward known to the world as SnitchCauldron187) on Pottermore because we unmasked ourselves via Facebook. What's the point in being a so-called community if you aren't given the means to connect with real-world friends or learn anything else about other users besides their House affiliation and country of origin? I completely understand the importance of keeping younger Pottermore members safe from online predators, but the current measures in place leave users feeling isolated. Nothing on the site compares to the camaraderie I've experienced with in-the-flesh reading companions or even the unfamiliar Potterheads in line behind me at a midnight book launch.
I will confess that J.K. did get a few things right with Pottermore. The personality questionnaires you complete to first find your wand at Ollivander's and then later to be sorted by the Sorting Hat were scary accurate in my case. I felt like an honorary classmate of Harry's when I joined the ranks of Ravenclaw and wielded my hawthorn and unicorn hair wand. The bits of inside information on characters you find once in a while are very cool and interesting (McGonagall's story *tragic sigh.*) So often when I'm reading a book I wish the author could pop out of the page and give a little back story on the plot--this format allows Rowling to do just that.
It pains me to speak ill of one of my literary idols, but I think Pottermore is essentially a ploy to attract people to the electronic book store soon to be attached to the site. I realize that next year will be the first time the Potter series is available in a digital format, but eBooks are hardly a new invention. While I admired J.K.'s past aversion to allowing eBooks, it's likely that public demand has given her no choice but to cave to the virtual winds of change; Pottermore might be her way of trying to seem more tech-forward than she really is.
Of course, I may be wrong and Pottermore is a glimpse of what's to come in the age of electronic publications. In that case, I pity future readers who are participating in an Easter egg-hunting parody of what past eras knew as reading. Where in Pottermore is the imagination J.K. praises? I don't really call it imagination if the animations are imagining for me. It feels like today's tired, uninspired movie culture is coming in and wiping out what I love most about reading and actual books.
In theend, we must acknowledgethat even our creative heroes are mortal and therefore flawed. George Lucas has his Jar Jar Binks; J.K. Rowling has her Pottermore. I just hope that the final version of Pottermore pays a bit more respect to the institution of reading than what's present in Pottermore Beta.
Here is your turn to weigh in: Where do you envision the online reading experience heading in the next few years? Are you ready to make the eBook transition? Or are you clinging to your paperbacks until the very end? Please feel free to post a comment below.
In 2001, Nicholson Baker penned Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper in response to the microfilming craze in libraries and the resulting exodus of printed publications. During the 80s and 90s, prominent institutions such as the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, and the British Library routinely destroyed printed resources in the process of converting holdings to microfilm format. Rather than supporting the efforts of libraries to combat paper decay, reduce physical bulk, and embrace emerging technological trends, Baker maintains that such practices are wasteful, barbaric treatment of precious historical artifacts.
Baker also criticizes the librarian profession, asserting that many well-known figures in the field have acted rashly by spouting inconclusive data on the rate of paper disintegration; supposedly a means of saving data printed on paper that may or may not be subject to imminent decay, Baker believes this is simply an excuse to free up shelf space. (Several librarians have since published journal articles disputing Baker's accusations.)
On page 67 of his book, Baker poses the question, "Why can't we have the benefits of the new and extravagantly expensive digital copy and keep the convenience and beauty and historical testimony of the original books resting on the shelves, where they've always been, thanks to the sweat and equity of our prescient predecessors?"
Admittedly a biased account of information conservation in today's libraries, Baker nevertheless brings up a valid concern faced in this age of increased digitization: to what extent should libraries preserve physical resources while making the information contained in these documents readily accessible and sustainable? By sacrificing print materials are libraries simultaneously obliterating the intangible benefits and delights only honest-to-goodness books can bring? To what extent are libraries even responsible for maintaining physical artifacts?
Please feel free to post your own responses in the comments section below.
