E-Readers & Libraries

John Rodzvilla February 24, 2009

Simmons College Library

From lawgeek’s flickr account (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdawg/1300241735/), last accessed 2/18/08

Kindle details

• $399 for device• 10.3 ounces• 6 inch display• Holds “hundreds” of books• Wireless connection using 3G

network

• Supports MOBI, Microsoft Word, HTML, TXT, PRC and image files

• Newspapers, magazines, blogs, & books

• Doesn’t require a computer• Keyboard• Not backlit• OED loaded• Wikipedia• $.10 for wireless conversion• PDF??

Kindle 2 details

• Slimmer version at 1/3 of an inch

• Now with 16 shades of grey

• Better battery life• More storage• Faster page turn• Text-to-Speech

Amazon.com’s Kindle 2 image (http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/turing/photos/feat-libr2-300px._V251264267_.jpg), last accessed 2/20/09

Amazon.com’s Kindle storefront (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/133141011), last accessed 2/17/08

Image from Sprint (http://www.showmycoverage.com/mycoverage.jsp?id=A921ZON), last accessed 2/20/09

Other Readers

Image from Kimbooktu (http://kimbooktu.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/bookish-wallpaper-ii/), last accessed 2/17/08

Sony Stats

• PRS-500 series• $299 for device• 9 ounces• 6 inch display• Internal memory holds up to 80

books• Connects to computer via UPB• BBeB Book, TXT, RTF, PDF*,

Microsoft Word • Not backlit

• No keyboard• Bookmarks• Switch Screen orientation

*PDF can be created using Acrobat Standard or need to be unencrypted

Other readers available

eBookwise 1150•Supports: .rb, TXT, DOC, HTML,

•$135

•Backlit screen

Bookeen’s Cybook•Supports: PDF, TXT, HTML, PDB, Mobi, MP3 and image files

•$350

iRex Iliad

•Supports: PDF / HTML / TXT / JPG /

BMP/ PNG

•$699

•8.1” screen

Are dedicated e-readers even necessary?

Image from http://www.apple.com, last accessed 2/17/08

Are dedicated e-readers even necessary?

Image from http://www.apple.com, last accessed 2/17/08

NopeNope

E-readers in the

Library

Image from http://www.lightupyourworld.nl/en/index_en.html,

last accessed 2/17/08

Image from Forbes Library Catalog (http://wmars.cwmars.org/record=b3559250~S41), last accessed 2/20/09

Image from Duke (http://cit.duke.edu/help/exploratory_equipment.html/) , last accessed 2/20/09

Issues, Questions, Problems

• EULA agreement

• Cataloging

• Access

• Marketing

• Acquisitions

SLIDES AVAILABLE AT WWW.SLIDESHARE.NET/RODVILL

A/KINDLELIB

Image from bzedan (http://flickr.com/photos/bzedan/107728952/) , last accessed 2/20/09