Thing 16: E-Books.

I think that the many varieties of e-books can be confusing! Some you can only read online, some you can download and print, others you can read everything but you are not allowed to print the whole content, and some you need a special reader for. But I also think the concept is exciting, esp. the ability to download and take several books with you to read on the airplane without physically having to carry three or four books. And when Project Gutenberg first came out, I thought it was a great way to give everyone access to the classics.

I explored the PsycBooks database and liked what I saw. It was easy to search and easy to download the material. I think this gives our students a great resource that we otherwise could not afford to buy book by book. And I like saving the shelf space, which is a constant problem in our library.

However, our patrons do not always like it when the only way they can get to a book is through online access, such as NetLibrary. Even our 18-20 somethings still would rather have the book in their hands when trying to find information. I somewhat understand their thinking. I took a Spanish class at a local university and we had to purchase an e-textbook. To me, I hated not being able to highlight or notate. If I wanted a section of information to study while I was not around a computer, I had to print it off. So there is some good along with the bad when it comes to e-books.

I would like to have something like a Kindle, but will probably buy myself an iPod Touch this fall when they come out with the version that matches the new iPhone. A couple people I know swear by it as a viewer for downloaded books. And as an iPod owner, I am familiar with the format.