As a librarian, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I have a lot to learn about eBooks. Luckily, I've got a new iPad with which I can now test out various eReaders.
The main reason I've been dragging my feet when it comes to eBooks is the lack of availability of books through the library. I only purchase a handful of new books a year; the rest I get from the library. When I hear about a good new book, I'll go to the public library catalog and put a hold on it. This sometimes means I'm the 88th in line for the book, like I was for the Tiger Mother book that is getting so much media attention these days. But usually that is okay with me, I don't mind waiting. UW Libraries has eBooks in our collection, but you can't download them to an eReader. You typically click on the "Connect to this title online" link and then navigate and read the book on your computer screen. I hate reading on my computer screen.
There are a host of issues holding back libraries from providing eBooks and eReader devices. Meredith Farkas does a great job of summarizing these concerns in her post "Ebooks and Libraries: A Stream of Concerns."
Last week I read a review of a book called Bit Literacy on ProfHacker. I looked for this book in the UW Libraries catalog, but we don't own it. Next I checked the Sno-Isle libraries catalog, which shows three copies. I almost put a hold on the book, but then I checked the Bit Literacy website. Lo and behold, there was a blurb on the home page announcing a free download in the Apple iBookstore. This was the perfect opportunity for me to test out the iBooks app on the iPad!
Downloading the books took only a few seconds. I was really pleased by the speed and convenience of getting the book, much faster than going to the library to check it out. And I quickly mastered the navigational features of iBooks. I used my finger tip to turn pages, jump around between chapters, and increase the font size. There is a bookmark tool to mark pages, and iBooks saves your place in the book automatically. You either view one page or two pages at a time, depending on how you're holding the iPad. I thought the visibility was good and didn't require any unnecessary eye strain. I'd be interested to hear if that remains true for people who read a lot more on the iPad.
Up next: getting FREE eBooks from the Sno-Isle Libraries and the Overdrive Media app.
