E-Books

Technology has come a long way in the library. From the days of paper circulation cards and rubber stamps, we have moved to e-book readers, self check-out kiosks, and virtual libraries. There is no way to cover all of the advances in technology utilized in a current 2.0 library, so I will focus on e-books and e-book readers.
E-books are print books that have been converted to a digital format. Any book can be converted to digital format, and e-books come in a variety of different types. Many books, such as chapter books, are reprinted with the words copied down into chapter and nothing additional. Other books, especially books that appeal to children, will have pictures, moving picture, or additional content not found in the original book. E-books can be purchased, and some are available online for free. One free source is Project Gutenberg. E-books must be loaded into some type of reading device.
There are many choices when deciding how to view your e-books. One of the most popular is the Kindle available from Amazon.com. It comes in different types and at a range of prices. The latest, Kindle DX, is $489.00 with free shipping from Amazon. Other readers include the Sony line of readers and the Barnes & Noble Nook. You can also download e-books to your computer or mobile computing device. I recently got a chance to view e-books on the iPad. It appears to be an excellent choice for viewing e-books.
So, if you can purchase e-books or download them for free, then why do we need the library you ask. The answer is simple. Print books are also available for purchase and for free if you know where to look. That does not mean that you want to search all day for them, pay for every one you ever want to read, or store them all after you have read them. It also helps clear up some questions of book ownership. For a private person who buys an e-book, there are a lot of questions about how or even whether they can loan the book to someone else. There are questions about what their rights are to a book they have supposedly “purchased” and now “own.”
Libraries can offer e-book for patrons to check out through their catalog. They can range from children’s picture books to academic tomes for college level research. Patrons are allowed access to the book for a set period of time. During this time the book is “checked out” and not available to other patrons unless that library has purchased multiple licenses for the book.
One advantage is that the book may be instantly available. If it is not checked out, the patron can download it instantly from the library without having to drive to the library or even be physically in the library. This would be very beneficial to a student who wants to check out a book from the school library during the weekend or in the evening when it is closed. It would also be helpful to a student who wants to do research on a topic from class using a mobile device, such as a phone with internet access and reader software.
E-books may not be the only technology advance for libraries in the near future, but face it, the future is now and e-books are a great resource. Librarians need to embrace them if we plan to meet the needs of 2.0 patrons who are used to instant access and unlimited resources.