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Chad Mairn

The Library Role in Providing Access to eBooks and ePublications: A Community Conversation - 0 views

www.slideshare.net/...community-conversation-3117771

EPUB ibookstore iPad Apple Electronic Books ePublications eReaders libraries

shared by Chad Mairn on 10 Feb 10 - Cached
  • Chad Mairn on 10 Feb 10
     
    A slidecast that tries to explain: "what is the library's role in this growing e-book and e-publication world and how do we ensure that libraries continue their long relationship with readers and with books? Stated more bluntly, what do libraries have to do to stay relevant as e-books presumably take increasing share of the book and print market?"
Chad Mairn

The Future of Reading - 11/1/2009 - Library Journal - 1 views

www.libraryjournal.com/...CA6703852.html

shared by Chad Mairn on 30 Jan 10 - Cached
  • For decades the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has been studying the reading habits of adult Americans, issuing a series of reports with rousingly alliterative titles such as “Reading at Risk” (July 2004) and “Reading on the Rise” (January 2009). Sometime in the 21st century, the NEA may need to issue the sobering final report in the series, “Reading, Rest in Peace.”
  • television, electronic games, and even comic books, have been generally perceived as threats to literacy and the practice of reading.
  • On the other hand, computer information networks and new personal, portable electronic reading appliances—Kindle is the current darling—may result in an innovative, long-term growth in reading.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • As Kindle versions outsell hardcover editions of some best sellers, the publishing industry, hot on the heels of the music and movie industries, is scrambling to envision and develop a model that will actually work. Libraries are feeling the heat, too, because many of these early e-reading platforms, which combine a large online bookstore, a rapid and easy-to-use distribution system, and a portable reading device into a complete reading experience, seem to be eliminating libraries from the equation.
Chad Mairn

All about EPUB, the ebook standard for Apple's iBookstore - 0 views

www.tuaw.com/...standard-for-apples-ibookstore

ibookstore EPUB iPad Apple Electronic Books ePublications eReaders libraries

shared by Chad Mairn on 03 Feb 10 - Cached
  • If you're a budding publisher and want to get your ebook into the iBookstore, you'll need a tool to help you create your document in the EPUB format.
  • EPUB is the same format used by the popular Stanza [free, iTunes link] app for iPhone and iPod touch. It's a free and open standard format created by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), and it's designed for reflowable content that can be optimized to whatever device is being used to read a book file. The IDPF has championed EPUB as a single format that can be used by publishers and conversion houses, as well as for distribution and sale of electronic books.
  • free Calibre ebook management tool. Calibre converts a number of different file formats to EPUB, so it's a good tool for doing an initial conversion. However, to do a lot of formatting, you'll need a full-powered EPUB editor like Sigil. Sigil is a free open-source editor that runs on a number of platforms including Mac OS X.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • If you happen to be an Adobe InDesign CS4 (US$699) user, you're in luck. The top-of-the-line tool for design and publishing supports EPUB, and it is possible to create files that will work on Amazon's Kindle as well.
  • While EPUB is a popular format, it's not without criticism. The format is great for text-centric books, but is considered unsuitable for publications that require advanced formatting or detailed layout, such as comic books and technical tomes.
  • The lack of a standard DRM scheme could cause the format to splinter into different factions unless Apple forces the issue by adopting an open scheme.
  • issues with the lack of detail on links within EPUB books. This makes it impossible or difficult to link ebooks, or even provide links within an EPUB book.
  • Apple has come up with their own "standard" for linking, as there were very active examples of linking from a table of contents to individual pages within an ebook. The standards for annotating EPUB are also lacking, which means that each company using EPUB is coming up with their own way of handling this.
  • If the iPad and iBookstore are the successful products that they can be, Apple could finally force the industry to adopt a more robust EPUB standard.
Chad Mairn

2010 Horizon Report » Electronic Books - 0 views

wp.nmc.org/...electronic-books

Horizon Report Electronic Books

shared by Chad Mairn on 30 Jan 10 - Cached
    • Chad Mairn
      Chad Mairn on 30 Jan 10
       
      I didn't realize that eBooks have been around for 40 years!
  • The very first electronic versions of books were those digitized by Project Gutenberg in the 1970s.
    • Chad Mairn
      Chad Mairn on 30 Jan 10
       
      That is forty years! 
  • capabilities of readers have advanced to the point where the experience truly rivals that of reading a paper book. Paper and ink color, font, type size, even the way pages are turned, are all customizable. Text is clear and crisp, with enough contrast to make it easy to read, and the devices are comfortable to hold for long periods of time.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Kindle editions, for example, now account for half of Amazon’s sales of books available both in print and for the Kindle. Readers of electronic books may be reading more, as well.
    • Chad Mairn
      Chad Mairn on 30 Jan 10
       
      I think "The Future of Reading" by Tom Peters should be required reading for all librarians. You can read it at: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6703852.html
  • Cost is generally a little lower than buying a paperback edition.
    • Chad Mairn
      Chad Mairn on 30 Jan 10
       
      This is something libraries will need to explore BIG-TIME! 
  • Wirelessly connected readers make purchasing an electronic book a simple matter, often delivering a new volume in less than a minute.
    • Chad Mairn
      Chad Mairn on 30 Jan 10
       
      For example, walk into a Barnes and Noble with your Nook and it "knows" you are there. Now, you can browse physical titles as well as on your Nook. Imagine if libraries offered this luxury.
  • The convenience of having an entire library of books, magazines, and newspapers — each remembering exactly where you left off the last time you looked at them — and all in a single, small device is one of the most compelling aspects driving electronic reader sales.
Chad Mairn

ePubications and Libraries - 0 views

The world of books and publishing has been overwhelmed by the recent emergence of popular e-books in the consumer market place. One example, Amazon.com reports selling more e-books than paper durin...

ePublications eReaders libraries

started by Chad Mairn on 30 Jan 10 no follow-up yet
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