[13151] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: netLibrary
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lloyd Davidson)
Tue Mar 14 20:03:32 2000
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 21:27:34 -0600
From: Lloyd Davidson <ldavids@NWU.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000310102239.00914b70@bayou.uh.edu>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
Message-Id: <200003140329.VAA18616@casbah.it.northwestern.edu>
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Mark asks, "who honestly wants to read a book from a computer screen?"
Well, it depends on the book.
We have a lot of trouble keeping up with computer programming books and
other such training material. So much so that we don't even bother to
order very much of it, even though it is very popular, especially among
undergraduates. A lot of it gets stolen, and some of it is so popular it
develops waiting lists. Making this sort of item available through any
campus connection, on or off campus, for short - say 48 hour or less -
charge out periods makes a lot of sense. Protocol books, encyclopedias,
various reference books, all are good candidates for digital delivery. Any
book that doesn't need to be read from cover to cover might well be
purchased as an ebook.
Except for purely pleasure reading, I find I read most books in small
chunks, especially those I use for teaching, writing or lecturing, and
being able to search such materials by keyword improves them immeasurably
as an educational resource. Why rely on incomplete indexes when you can
find every incidence of any word you are looking for? Being able to
combine an index with keyword searching makes it even more useful. Making
electronic versions of books available essentially turns every one of them
into a potential reference work. Better than that. You can search all the
books at once for specific keywords, including personal names. They
become an online super index. Also, netLibrary, for example, delivers
excellent user data on all their titles, information useful for collection
development in general, not just for guiding ebook purchases.
netLibrary is also working on ways to make their material securely
down-loadable to palm pilots, lap tops or commercial ebook readers, which
would make it more portable. I already often read a computer screen at
least 6 to 8 hours a day and, while unpleasant and uncomfortable, one
adapts. I spend a lot more time reading computer screens than I do reading
books, unfortunately.
Books are nice, and won't disappear completely soon, but the future is
digital, whether we like it or not. Better quality, XML compatible ebook
readers will appear soon (that is a statement of faith, however, not inside
knowledge). Once the price drops on them to <$100 and their screen
resolution and battery life improve, the whole world will probably start
using them, as long as the titles people want or need are available.
Wouldn't you like to consult any book you need when you need it, from your
home or office, instead of having to go to the library, only to find it is
charged out or lost? Especially when you need it for a paper that is past
due and the editor is already yelling at you. I would give up a lot of
comfort in exchange for convenience.
It probably isn't a good time to buy a used book store, unless you are
close to retirement.
Come to the LITA session on ebooks, eink and epaper at the next Annual ALA
in Chicago. netLibrary will be there, along with XML experts, speakers from
SoftBook and Adobe, Clifford Lynch and Nick Sheridon, the inventor of
epaper at Xerox PARC. I think it will be a good session.
Signed,
A pragmatic book lover
Lloyd
At 10:22 3/10/00 -0600, you wrote:
>Lloyd makes a good point about netLibrary...printing is controlled to help
>maintain copyright integrity. One problem though: who honestly wants to
>read a book from a computer screen? This is why it will be many, many
>years before books begin to fade. From an ergonomics standpoint, it is
>easier on the eyes to read from print than from even the best screens
>available. Also, you can put a book in your bag, walk out under a tree,
>and read all afternoon. The current limitations of computing technology,
>such as finite battery life and the expense of wireless/cellular modems,
>would make this a good deal more difficult and certainly far more expensive
>than using a book.
>
>So, while this model allows netLibrary to legally exist, I'm not sure of
>the point, unless it is to deliver short shelf life reference books that
>don't require reading the entire thing to get anything out of it.
>
>Booklover and proud of it,
>
>Mark
>
>At 09:51 AM 3/8/00 -0600, you wrote:
>> NetLibrary uses a trusted systems* approach to make materials
>>accessible in a tightly controlled environment.
>>
>> They do scan many materials in themselves and currently they are displayed
>>in as HTML documents but their stored data can be converted easily to XML
>>or other formats.
>>
>>
>> *Mark Stefik (Xerox PARC), Trusted Systems, Scientific American March,
>>1997, p.78-81
>> Mark Gimbel, Some thoughts on the implications of trusted systems for
>>intellectual property law, Stanford Law Review, May 1998, v50 #5,
p.1671-1687
>>
>*************************************************
>Mark T. Bay
>Education / Social Sciences Reference Librarian
>M.D. Anderson Library
>University of Houston
>Houston, TX 77204-2091
>
>(713) 743-9767
>mbay@uh.edu
>*************************************************
>
