Lindsey Schell’s chapter on e-books in academic libraries in No Shelf Required discusses many of the challenges and issues that arise when a library decides to allocate a portion of their collection space and financial budget to e-books. Despite the licensing headaches, e-book format restrictions, ILL ineligibility, strict Digital Rights Management enforcement, and occasional patron resistance, it’s undeniable that e-books are here to stay, and it is up to university librarians to overcome these challenges and successfully incorporate e-resources into our existing and often long developed academic collections.
Schell’s case studies were interesting examples of the trial and error technique many university libraries are implementing to come to grips with the e-book situation. The University of Texas at Austin and Penn State have each tried to integrate e-books into academic library settings by targeting specific types of books or specific users. For example, one of the groups Penn State targeted for their Sony Reader experiment was Honors English students. Schell indicates that literature classes are a popular choice of a potential user base for e-resources since “assignments may focus on close reading” and students could benefit from “keyword and proximity searches for textual analysis” (p. 80). In general, Penn State’s study found that many students appreciated the e-reader’s capabilities, despite complaints of battery issues, slow refresh times, and a lack of highlighting and annotating features.
I don't own an e-reader, though I've definitely benefited from using e-books for research--it's undeniably faster to simply click on a link and have the whole book at your fingertips, than to have to go to the library and crawl the stacks to find one title you think might be useful (I won't go into the downside of limited digital browsing options here). But I still have some doubts when it comes to the use of e-books for pleasure reading. Recently I have read a couple of e-books "for fun" and while admittedly they were PDFs read on my computer, I didn't really find I was inspired to join the e-reader movement.
After reading a print version of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games (I heard a lot about it over Christmas break and decided it was time I went ahead and read it) I was having trouble finding the sequels in print at the local libraries and so opted for e-versions. Then I read the graphic novel/manga series Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa. While both series had great stories, interesting characters, and were quite enjoyable to read, the only extra thing I got from reading them in e-book format was a persistent eye twitch. Yes, easy access to the e-books was convenient, but all in all, I think I'd rather have read them in print.
That said, e-books are still very new. Right now there may not be a lot of added benefit from choosing an e-version over print, but who knows what innovations and improvements are right around the corner? It seems like the future of e-books will likely hold even more challenges and issues than the ones Schell outlines in her chapter, but as the technology continues to develop, the opportunities e-books create are sure to keep growing as well.
Schell, Lindsey. (2011). Chapter Five: The Academic Library E-book. In Polanka, S. (Ed.), No Shelf
Required. Chicago: American Library Association.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Myths
It's refreshing to read scholarly articles whose authors aren't above using a touch of humor. Phillip Armour's writing is clear, concise, and entertaining as he writes about aspects of project planning and management that often come with unrealistic expectations.
"According to the late Joseph Campbell a myth is not, as we may think, untrue. A myth is something
that is extremely true. It is the essence of truth dressed up in an allegorical costume that helps us remember its lesson. If a myth is truth packaged in a fabrication, then something that appears perfectly
reasonable but is, in essence, wrong would be an “unmyth” (p. 15).
Information Science context aside, I really like this idea that a myth is truthful at its heart. Myths are metaphors: imaginative illustrations to help us understand and cope with reality.
Armour goes on to talk about how the idea of an "accurate estimate" is an oxymoron, though it is certainly possible to make a "lucky estimate." And how designing a "defect free" system is an impossible goal since "we cannot test thoroughly for things we don’t know we don’t know," the "Second Order Ignorance" phenomenon (p. 18).
Though it may not seem the most "scholarly" of articles, Armour's readability makes his points meaningful and, maybe most importantly, memorable. I appreciate (and sometimes even enjoy) the challenge of reading a particularly dense and difficult article, but I'm glad when professors are open to assigning the lighter ones too. They also can have value and often, I've noticed, spark the most interesting discussions among students.
Armour, P. (2002). Ten unmyths of project estimation. Communications of the ACM, 45(11), 15-18.
"According to the late Joseph Campbell a myth is not, as we may think, untrue. A myth is something
that is extremely true. It is the essence of truth dressed up in an allegorical costume that helps us remember its lesson. If a myth is truth packaged in a fabrication, then something that appears perfectly
reasonable but is, in essence, wrong would be an “unmyth” (p. 15).
Information Science context aside, I really like this idea that a myth is truthful at its heart. Myths are metaphors: imaginative illustrations to help us understand and cope with reality.
Armour goes on to talk about how the idea of an "accurate estimate" is an oxymoron, though it is certainly possible to make a "lucky estimate." And how designing a "defect free" system is an impossible goal since "we cannot test thoroughly for things we don’t know we don’t know," the "Second Order Ignorance" phenomenon (p. 18).
Though it may not seem the most "scholarly" of articles, Armour's readability makes his points meaningful and, maybe most importantly, memorable. I appreciate (and sometimes even enjoy) the challenge of reading a particularly dense and difficult article, but I'm glad when professors are open to assigning the lighter ones too. They also can have value and often, I've noticed, spark the most interesting discussions among students.
Armour, P. (2002). Ten unmyths of project estimation. Communications of the ACM, 45(11), 15-18.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Yet another reason to be a Google employee
The latest news from Google is that they have filed for a special experimental license to test a new Wi-Fi "entertainment device" in employee homes. According to the report, the product "requires testing outside the laboratory environment" and will involve syncing into home WiFi networks while utilizing "Bluetooth to connect to other home electronics equipment." Whatever it is will be tested between January and July 2012 in Google employee homes ranging from California to Massachusetts.
If working in the Googleplex complete with five star meals, beanbag chair style meeting rooms, and slides to get you from one floor to the next weren't sweet enough, now you might also get to test out the latest top secret electronics...
If working in the Googleplex complete with five star meals, beanbag chair style meeting rooms, and slides to get you from one floor to the next weren't sweet enough, now you might also get to test out the latest top secret electronics...
Google HQ in Mountain View, CA
Friday, February 3, 2012
Unique shelves
Bookshelves. Something you find in probably almost every house, apartment, and dorm room across America. Usually not the most decorative piece of furniture in the room; an item that is owned more for its utility than its visual appearance. And there's nothing wrong with that, since the books that the shelves hold are, after all, the main event. But there's no law that says your bookshelf can't be a little bit more interesting...
(I like the way it isn't really trying to be a "hidden door" bookcase, rather the bookshelves are just an additional element built into an ordinary door.)
Not all bookshelves have to be made of wood (or fake wood-like substances). They don't even need to stick to one wall.
If you're running low on space, look for unexpected places to store all those books you accumulated in grad school. How about the ceiling?
Or what about a bookshelf that doubles as a door?
And probably my favorite: bookshelf staircase!!
Here's another (maybe slightly more practical) variation:
But practicality is overrated more times than not. I wonder if you could somehow merge the two designs together...
It's definitely decided. I don't have enough bookshelves in my life.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Harry Potter goes to college
Though I know it's children's lit, I've always appreciated Harry Potter as "real literature" in its own way. Now it seems I'm not the only one.
This article describes how Washington and Lee Professor Suzanne Keen had started to notice her English students weren't appreciating classic Victorian literature anymore, it was as if they were "losing their connection to Dickens." Then J.K. Rowling started to write. With a wit reminiscent of English wordsmiths like Charles Dickens and Jane Austen and a story with the excitement of Hollywood, J.K. Rowling helped bridge the gap between modern day young readers and the literary classics.
Keen equates reading Harry Potter to "taking a crash course in reading Dickens because 'it's got the humor, it's got the caricatured names, it's got the multi-plots, it's got the really long stories that you read for hours and hours and hours, and you enjoy the fact that they're long.'" She sees a connection between kids who devoted a hefty chunk of their childhood to reading and re-reading the Harry Potter series and college students who still read for pleasure, enjoy talking about books, and appreciate the art of literature.
As someone who has both enjoyed and suffered through Dickens, I know a Dickens experience depends on a lot of factors (teacher, novel, and reading pace included). So it's hard to give a blanket statement that Dickens has gained a sort of rediscovered popularity with kids today. But I think it is true that the "Harry Potter generation" (which I consider myself on the early end of) does read more than perhaps the age groups on either side of it. And the more you read, the more you incorporate reading of any and every kind into your daily existence, the more open you will find yourself to new books--and old books too.
Article via MuggleNet.
This article describes how Washington and Lee Professor Suzanne Keen had started to notice her English students weren't appreciating classic Victorian literature anymore, it was as if they were "losing their connection to Dickens." Then J.K. Rowling started to write. With a wit reminiscent of English wordsmiths like Charles Dickens and Jane Austen and a story with the excitement of Hollywood, J.K. Rowling helped bridge the gap between modern day young readers and the literary classics.
Keen equates reading Harry Potter to "taking a crash course in reading Dickens because 'it's got the humor, it's got the caricatured names, it's got the multi-plots, it's got the really long stories that you read for hours and hours and hours, and you enjoy the fact that they're long.'" She sees a connection between kids who devoted a hefty chunk of their childhood to reading and re-reading the Harry Potter series and college students who still read for pleasure, enjoy talking about books, and appreciate the art of literature.
As someone who has both enjoyed and suffered through Dickens, I know a Dickens experience depends on a lot of factors (teacher, novel, and reading pace included). So it's hard to give a blanket statement that Dickens has gained a sort of rediscovered popularity with kids today. But I think it is true that the "Harry Potter generation" (which I consider myself on the early end of) does read more than perhaps the age groups on either side of it. And the more you read, the more you incorporate reading of any and every kind into your daily existence, the more open you will find yourself to new books--and old books too.
Article via MuggleNet.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Not my usual sort of post
I've found several cool book-related videos lately, and while this one is absolutely ridiculous, it made me laugh so I thought, why not?
Anyone who follows freddiew on YouTube will probably find it amusing to see him in a library, not that he doesn't read or anything, I'm sure he does, it's just not exactly his usual environment. And the ah-ha moment when he sees the "really big book" is fantastic. I know whenever I see those huge, ancient-looking folios in the stacks I'm silently entertaining the idea that they have some sort of extraordinary contents. And the message of the video is unquestionably true: books can be dangerous, kids. So try not to set innocent passersby on fire.
Anyone who follows freddiew on YouTube will probably find it amusing to see him in a library, not that he doesn't read or anything, I'm sure he does, it's just not exactly his usual environment. And the ah-ha moment when he sees the "really big book" is fantastic. I know whenever I see those huge, ancient-looking folios in the stacks I'm silently entertaining the idea that they have some sort of extraordinary contents. And the message of the video is unquestionably true: books can be dangerous, kids. So try not to set innocent passersby on fire.
Barnes & Noble and the Future of Books
This week The New York Times featured an interesting article detailing some of the history of Barnes & Noble and the company's path to the current crossroads between e-books and traditional print being faced by booksellers and publishers alike.
The article's stance, that Barnes & Noble is "the only thing standing between traditional book publishers and oblivion" seems a bit extreme, but it's still an interesting look at a huge company in the book business that today is undeniably floundering as it attempts to compete with the World Wide Web. Barnes & Noble has decided that e-books are their best (and maybe only) way forward, but at the same time their CEO, William Lynch, is confident that the print-based bookselling side of the store will not go away.
In light of Amazon's recent publishing unit unveiling, the article also discusses Barnes & Noble's important relationship with traditional publishers. Despite falling share prices, I think Barnes & Noble will still be around for some time to come. Their rapidly expanding Nook line and e-book selections show that they are listening to the current market. The writer's comment that "Barnes & Noble may have to adapt to new realities, or die trying" sounds just like what many people are saying of libraries in the digital age. This spring Barnes & Noble plans to release their fifth e-reader; if they can continue to develop their digital products while maintaining the key feature that helped build their company originally--a wide selection of books in one physical location--it's likely they can hold on to their business (and avoid "the post-apocalyptic world of publishing, with publishers pushing shopping carts down Broadway.")
The article's stance, that Barnes & Noble is "the only thing standing between traditional book publishers and oblivion" seems a bit extreme, but it's still an interesting look at a huge company in the book business that today is undeniably floundering as it attempts to compete with the World Wide Web. Barnes & Noble has decided that e-books are their best (and maybe only) way forward, but at the same time their CEO, William Lynch, is confident that the print-based bookselling side of the store will not go away.
In light of Amazon's recent publishing unit unveiling, the article also discusses Barnes & Noble's important relationship with traditional publishers. Despite falling share prices, I think Barnes & Noble will still be around for some time to come. Their rapidly expanding Nook line and e-book selections show that they are listening to the current market. The writer's comment that "Barnes & Noble may have to adapt to new realities, or die trying" sounds just like what many people are saying of libraries in the digital age. This spring Barnes & Noble plans to release their fifth e-reader; if they can continue to develop their digital products while maintaining the key feature that helped build their company originally--a wide selection of books in one physical location--it's likely they can hold on to their business (and avoid "the post-apocalyptic world of publishing, with publishers pushing shopping carts down Broadway.")
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