ebooks: Do they have a place on the Higher Education Bookshelf?

Transcription

1 ebooks: Do they have a place on the Higher Education Bookshelf?

2 Introduction Presenters Brett DeCarion Andy Petzold What will be covered? Defining ebooks History of ebooks Current uses Formats Hardware Future of ebooks 2

3 Opening Definition of an ebook Digital equivalent of a printed book. Text on Screen Audio Books ebooks usually distributed by a publisher in proprietary format etext is used for plain text file format Extra information called Metadata is included with ebooks Author, Title, Publisher, Copyright date Similar to MP3 music files Brief History of ebooks Internet-only ebook publishers founded in the mid 1990 s Many newcomers to ebook publishing include most major print publishers 3

4 History of ebooks Some of the first ebook publishers Boson Books Hard Shell Word Factory Online Originals Each pioneered different aspects to become commonplace Support for multiple formats including PDF Higher royalty rate for the author than conventional publishers Online presentation of free samples Author-friendly contracts 4

5 Some Current Uses of ebooks K-12 Schools (Midland, Texas School District) School owns ebooks (and retains licensing) School owns reader and loans it to students Aviation Current maps, charts, and procedures are required by law Procedures change often (usually every couple of months) Subscriptions are cheaper than replacing printed books Hard Cover Backup Buy the hard cover and receive the ebook too Special Accessibility Requirements Text-to-Speech audio Magnification 5

6 Different File Types used for ebooks Common file types Plain ASCII text -.txt Microsoft Word -.doc Adobe ebook -.pdf Gemstar ebook -.prc Palm -.pdb or.prc Hiebook -.kml Html -.html or.htm MobiPocket -.prc 6

7 What can I use to read an ebook? Computer Laptop or Desktop Mac or PC Handheld Palm Pocket PC Tablet PC ipod ebook readers Sony PRS-500 7

8 Where are ebooks going? Could ebooks completely replace printed text? Paperless society. It s not a fad. ebooks have been around for over a decade. Slow but continuing growth. Initial investment costs may become cheaper as technology becomes more widespread. This could have an effect with educational and business areas were multiple devices would be used. 8

9 Examples of pricing differences Title Print Amazon.com ebook mobipocket.com Memoirs of a Geisha $7.99 $6.99 Fish! Tales $14.16 $13.95 Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition $16.29 $39.99 *Amazon.com and mobipocket.com are affiliates 9

10 Pros and Cons of using ebooks Pros No wear and tear on software Possibly cheaper when used year after year Less for students to carry between classes Easier distribution methods Cons All electronic devices require power Initial investment can be high All ebooks depend on their software / hardware Not all ebooks are compatible with all devices 10

11 Cornucopia of Information Wikipedia iliad Sony Hanlin sp?id=20 Safari Books Online K-12 use of ebooks General Information

12 If you would like a copy of this presentation: A copy of this presentation is located at the OIT presentation web page: Then click on the Presentations link on the left side 12

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