[13156] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: netLibrary
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Millard Johnson)
Tue Mar 14 20:23:49 2000
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 09:26:28 -0500
From: Millard Johnson <zendog@INCOLSA.NET>
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>
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Librarians need to keep a close eye on Ebook technology. If we define the
library as a building where printed books are available for use, our future
is tied to the future of the printed book. For every aspect of
communication electronic media is superior to print technology. It is
cheaper, faster, and more flexible. Every aspect, that is, except the last
step - transfer into the brain. Most librarians "love" books. Even so, we
should see them for what they have become -- the bottle neck in the
communication cycle. They are limiting availability, driving up costs, and
slowing down human progress. Several years ago, I purchased a Rocket Ebook
reader for $500. It is now available for about $200. Microsoft is just
about ready to enter the Ebook market. Last year Microsoft published a 20
year projection that showed the Ebook substantially replacing the print
book. I found it difficult to disagree with any milestone on their
timeline. (Sorry I didn't keep their timeline. It is probably available by
searching their web site.) Microsoft has been known to be wrong, but the
ranks of the unemployed are filled with professionals who bet against
Microsoft.
Anyway... How does the RocketBook compare with paper? It has a 20 hour
battery life. It is the size of a paperback and weighs a bit more than a
book. It has two font sizes and can be read portrait, or landscape, left or
right hand. It can be read in any light, at the beach or in bed. It holds
about 10 novels, has a built in dictionary and it allows book marks (with a
search) and underlining. It has some disadvantages, but it has become my
preferred media for reading full length books. I download books from B&N,
Powells, or Amazon at a bit less than the cost of paper. All of the public
domain classics are available on the net for free.
The glass back-lit screen is a disadvantage, but even without the advanced
Epaper that is certain to come, this technology is likely to be a preferred
format for a lot of our clients.
One simple way to test the user acceptability of the Ebook reader would be
to put all of the Gutenberg books into your public title with a shelving
code of Ebook. Then you have a few Ebook readers at the circ desk. Anytime
someone wanted Alice in Wonderland, you download it from the net and check
out the reader. When it comes back, you ask the reader how they liked it.
In this model you have added 10,000 or so classic texts to your collection
for the cost of the Ereaders. And you can get some experience with a
possible future for your library.
MJ
***************************************************************
Millard F. Johnson zendog@incolsa.net
INCOLSA (317) 298-6570
"I would rather risk failure than achieve it without risk."
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-----Original Message-----
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum [mailto:PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU]
On Behalf Of Mark Bay
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2000 11:23 AM
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Subject: Re: netLibrary
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
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