When I was growing up, paper sacks were the only choice at the grocery store. Today, most stores use plastic bags. When I go to the library, I expect to check out a book made of paper. But, why not re-writeable paper presented electronically on a piece of e-paper made of plastic and tiny electrical components? It serves the same function as paper, but doesn't require trees or batteries.
Go to the Kindle website at Amazon and scroll down to watch the demonstration of their latest ebook reader.
Be sure to read the article Opinion: Why Amazon's Kindle is revolutionary by Mike Elgan in Computerworld. It contains a great list of features. Also read what bloggers are saying about the Kindle: Blue Skunk, School Library Media Activities Monthly, Cnet, and On the Run.
Read the article Electronic Books: Reading and Studying with Supportive Resources by Lynne Anderson-Inman and Mark Horney in Reading Online (1999).
Read the article What Readers Want from E-Books by Walter Minkel in School Library Journal (5/1/2003). Also skim the report noted in the article at Publishers.org.
Read the article Digital Books: More Value-Added, Please by Barbara Quint in Information Today (Jan 2005, Vol. 22, Issue 1, p7). (IUPUI password required to access)
E-paper and e-ink aren't quite ready for your library,
but some electronic book technology is available. Books such as the LeapPad products from Leap Frog combine a paper book with a special reader.
In the photo on the left, I'm reading to my nephew using the LittleTouch LeapPad designed for infants and toddlers. We're reading a book called Let's Get Busy, Baby. This talking book introduces first words and interactive play.
Notice that he's wearing an ALA READ hat! At just eight months old, he seems to enjoy the different voices used in the e-books.
This same little boy is 4 years old in the photo below. He continues to love his technology, but he still expects to read three paper books (or chapters now that he's a big boy) before going to sleep at night. It's not a matter of technology being better or worse. It's the availability of options that makes technology wonderful.
Read more about e-books, e-paper, and e-ink with the resources on this page:
Electronic Books
The quest to place books in an electronic format is now over thirty years old. In 1971, Project Gutenberg began the creation of a free library of public-domain electronic books. Today over 10,000 books are available.
Read Project Gutenberg Progresses by Paula Hane in Information Today (May 2004, Vol, 21, Issue 5, p28, 2p.)(IUPUI password required).
Since the 1970s many types of hardware and software have been introduced including electronic books that can be read on desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld computers, or specialized hardware.
Read E-Books in Schools from Media and Methods, Mar/Apr 2004 to learn more about the characteristics of e-books and their use in schools and libraries. (IUPUI password required).
The role of e-books in libraries has been hotly debated in recent years.
Read E-books: Some Concerns and Surprises by Susan Gibbons in portal: Libraries and the Academy (2001, Vol. 1, Issue 1, 71-5). (PDF file from University of Rochester). Learn more about this project related to eBook Devices. Also, read their e-book study conclusions.
Read The Case Against eBooks by Ron Kaplan in Bookreporter.com. He provides a different perspective on ebooks.
Go to Electronic Books and Online Reading from Teacher Tap to learn more about electronic books.
E-Picture Books & Smart Books
A wide variety of interactive books are now available for young readers. Some are embedded in traditional books while others include supplemental readers.
Embedded Interactivity. The least complicated of these books simply contain a plastic or card board side panel that presents sound buttons associated with the book. The Bob Builds a Petting Zoo book on the left shows this type of book.
Electronic Readers. Many of the electronic books require a special portable reader. Most are battery powered. In some cases, a paper book is placed in the read and a module is placed in the reader.
The Leap Pad (on the right) is one of the most popular readers for young children. They currently produce a number of electronic readers for different ages including the My First LeapPad (ages 3 and up), LeapPad (ages 4 and up), and Quantum Pad (ages 8 and up). Other companies include Power Touch Books by Fisher Price, Story Reader by Publications International, Ltd.
Explore some of the following companies that provide these electronic books for young children.
- Fisher Price: Touch Book (below right)
- Leap Frog
E-book Hardware and Software
Although some fiction is available on CD or DVD, materials are increasingly being shared online. Some books are produced in special ebook formats that can be viewed on a computer or a special ebook reader.
Read Technically Speaking: E-books: Round Two by Andres Pace in American Libraries (Sept 2004, Vol. 35, Issue 8, p74, 2p.). (IUPUI password required).
An ebook is a book delivered as an electronic file. Software is needed to run your ebook on your computer or your handheld device. Ebook formats include Microsoft Reader, Palm Reader (formerly Peanut Press), Adobe EBook Reader (formerly Glassbook). Many ebooks only require the regular Adobe Reader software for PDF.
Read one of the six books in the Young
Patriots Series. Patria Press is making these ebooks available for
our class for preview. They would love to hear
your comments.
E-book Hardware
You have three choices for viewing your e-book.
First, you can read an e-book on your computer or laptop.
Second, you can read an e-book on your PDA such as a Palm. The newest product is the Kindle.
Third, you can read an ebook on a special viewer such as Franklin Electronic's device.
Read Pros and Cons of eBook Devices for Libraries from University of Rochester.
Explore some of the following companies that provide these electronic book readers:
eBook Store
from Franklin Electronic Publishers
http://www.franklin.com/estore/ebooks/
Franklin produces the Mobipocket Reader for the Palm OS, Windows CE, and eBookman.
eBook Technologies
http://www.ebooktechnologies.com/
Lots of information and resources on eBooks.
Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Device/dp/B000FI73MA/
hiebook
http://www.ebookad.com/hiebook/
palmOne Products
http://www.palmone.com/us/products/
Sony Reader by E-Ink
http://www.eink.com/products/matrix/High_Res.html
E-book Software
Some ebooks can be viewed using software that may already by installed on your computer. For example, some e-books are viewed in your web browser. Others are downloaded in PDF and use Adobe Reader to display the book.
A new standard for eBooks has recently been introduced. Called the Open eBook Publication Structure Container Format (OCF), this digital file format can be read using different ebook readers.
Currently, four popular reader software packages are used to view most e-books including Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader, Microsoft Reader, Palm Reader, and TK3 Reader.
Explore some of the following companies that provide these electronic book readers:
Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader
http://www.adobe.com/products/ebookreader/main.html
The free Adobe® Acrobat® eBook Reader®
software enables you to read high-fidelity eBooks on your notebook
or desktop computer – no special hardware is needed!
Microsoft Reader
http://www.microsoft.com/reader/default.asp
Microsoft Reader is compatible with most Windows-based
PCs and laptops, and the newly released Windows XP based Tablet PC!
(See the download pages for system requirements.) Microsoft is also
pre-installed on most Pocket PC 2002 devices.
TK3 Reader
from Night Kitchen
http://www.nightkitchen.com/download/index.phtml
Selected as favorite e-Book related software
for 2002 Digital Literature Awards.
E-book Purchasing
E-books are often sold online. Most e-books can't be returned, so be sure to keep your purchase information in case you "lose" your book. For example, Yahoo keeps a "bookshelf" for you to keep track of the books you've downloaded. In many cases you can download it again. Be sure you order the version that will work with the software you've downloaded. For example the Adobe Ebook Reader or Microsoft Reader software.
Use the following resources for more information:
Adobe eBook Mall
http://digitalmediastore.adobe.com
Links to many publishers.
E-books and Documents
from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com
Buy e-books and learn more about e-books.
Filament Software
http://www.filamentbooks.com
eBooks for the eBook Reader
OverDrive
http://www.overdrive.com/
Information for schools and libraries, hardware and software, articles. They also have core collections for schools.
Palm
Digital Media:
eBooks
http://www.palmdigitalmedia.com/
Buy e-books and learn more about e-books (includes peanut press).
E-books for Children and Young Adults
Random View Books
http://www.randomhouse.com/about/faq/index.php?ToDo=view&questId=19&catId=26Random House provides background information about ebooks. Also do a search for eBooks. Or go to the master ebook list.
E-book Resources
KnowBetter
http://knowbetter.com/
This online resource provides the latest eBook
news and information. Are they biased? Certainly, they believe that
ebooks will eventually succeed in providing a more efficient and flexible
means of spreading knowledge than paper books can provide. Extensive
site provides technology information news, reviews of software, market
and industry news, and more.
Planet eBook
http://www.planetebook.com/
Site focused on eBooks and eBook-related technologies
and devices.
Go to Adobe eBook Mall. Browse their selections. Notice that you can download Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader for free.
Many audiobooks can be downloaded onto the computer or a portable MP3 device such as an ipod.
For more information on e-books
- Bundles of Books from Library Journal, Fall 2003. (IUPUI password required).
- E-books from Media and Methods, August 2003. (IUPUI password required).
- E-books: It's About Evolution, No Revolution from Library Journal, Fall 2003. (IUPUI password required).
- E-publishing shakedown from Writer, Jan 2004. (IUPUI password required).
- Kids and E-Books from Library Journal, Fall 2003. (IUPUI password required).
- Media & Methods invited educators to speak up about e-books from Media and Methods, August 2004. (IUPUI password required).
E-paper and E-ink
Imagine a city without newspaper factories or magazine
stands. When you sit down at the breakfast table, you simply press the
UPDATE button on your morning paper. Yesterday's headlines dissolve
and today's headlines appear. Possible or impossible?
Not just possible, it's here! Although not yet available for the commercial market, the technology currently exists. A wireless network can easily update the information on a page. The sign on the left is made of SmartPaper from Gyricon.
Current there are two competing technologies for electronic paper. One is produced at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), a subsidiary of Xerox Corporation for a company called Gyricon and the other is developed by the MIT Media Lab for a company called eInk. E-ink: Electronic Paper Displays is the developer of the Kindle.
Read about e-ink at How
Electronic Ink Will Work from How
Stuff Works.
Read Electronic Paper by Ron Wilson for EETimes.
Read Electronic Reuable Paper from PARC (Palo Alto Research Center).
An explosion of announcements were made by eInk
Corporation and others in the late 1990s related to the possible applications
of electronic ink technology. Since that time, lots of developments
have taken place and practical applications have been demonstrated,
but consumer products are not yet readily available. For example in December 2004, Plastic Logic and eInk announced an agreement to produce flexible active-matrix displays like the one on the right.
There are many articles about the possibilities of electronic paper. A few are listed below:
- Electronic Ink to Rewrite Publishing Industry from Howstuffworks
- eInk Boost for Mobile Electronic Reading by S. Cleyle from Biblio Tech Review (January 2001)
- eInk Demos First Active-matrix Electronic ink Display by J. Evans in Info World (April 10, 2001)
- eInk Unveils Displays for Phones and Handhelds by Richard Crocker from Planet ebook
- eInk: Your Hands Will Thank You by K. Mayfield from Wired News
- Lucent, E Ink Developing E-Books Using Bell Labs Plastic Transistors from Bell Labs
- Prose and Cons: Sony's New E-Book by Peter Lewis from Fortune (IUPUI password required)
- Taking Stock of E-paper from ComputerWorld