Dear Ms. Z: Advise on Ereaders and Apps for Ereading

One of our seniors sent me this query:

Good evening, miss! 

Just a quick question, I was wondering what you thought of E-readers such as the Kindle? Are they worth it? I know that nothing compares to the feeling of a real book in my hands and actually flipping through pages and even the scent that books carry. 

But, I have been considering a Kindle in order to consolidate a lot of my books and have them a lot easier to access on-the-move. What are your thoughts?  

Thank You!

This was my reply:

If your purpose is to consolidate ebooks and online references, it is practical to use an Ereader. I recommend that you use the Kindle app in an iPad or an Android. This way, you can download other apps for ebooks and PDFs like Adobe, Mobi, ePub, etc. Kindle E-readers are pretty limited. You cannot open other EReader apps in a Kindle.  

An iPad or an Android  allows you to purchase apps that will support ereading for note-taking, annotations and writing short reviews. Always be aware of digital management rights and creative commons when acquiring and reading digital materials. Other apps you can explore when using a pad or a tablet is the journaling and syncing apps. You would need a back-up for your ebooks and the notes you take while reading on a digital device. 

Hope this helps! 

What about you? What is your Ereader and Ereading app of choice?

SLIA's Dear Librarian Reply: Ang Epekto ng Teknolohiya sa Aklatan

Heto ang aking reply kay Augie Ebreo, librarian ng Batangas University.

Hi Augie! Sabi sa research, ang mga kabataan ngayon edad 0-25, ay mas pinipiling magbasa ng ebooks at ibang babasahin na digital. Ang grupo ng mga kabtaang ito ay tinatawag na digital natives. Ang sabi rin sa research, wala namang pinagkaiba ang comprehension skills na ginagamit ng mga tao pag nagbabasa ng book or ebooks/digital content. May isa pang research na nagsasabi na mas madedevelop ang language at verbal skills ng isang bata kung iba't-ubang uri ng instructional materials ang kanyang ginagamit sa pag-aaral at sa pang araw-araw na gawaiin.

Kung ito ang sinasabi ng makabagong researches, ano ngayon ang implikasyon nito sa ating mga librarian?

a. Kailangan may serbisyo ang library kung saan ang aklat at ebooks/digital content ay available para sa lahat ng uri ng learners. Hindi pwedeng books lang, or virtual/digital content lang. Kailangan, balanse ito at naayon sa context ng library users. Kung gayon, kailangang makilala ng librarian ang users nya at maplano ang pag angkat at pagbuo ng isang library collection.

b. Tingan kung sino-sino ang gumagawa ng ebooks at digital content at kung ito ay kayang basahin ng library users. Kung minsan, mas-friendly ang aklat dahil natural ang hitsura nito kumpara sa ereader na isang gadget. Mayroong digital divide na tinatawag, at naniniwala ako na nangyayari ito dito sa ating bansa na ang iilan lang maynkayang bumili ng ereaders at ang makaka-access sa technology ay ang mga may kakayahang bumili nito.

c. Aklat man o ebook/ereader, kailangan ng user education at information literacy skills training ng gagamit. Dito papasok ang role ng librarians at libraries. Dahil ang pagbabasa at literacy ay karapatan, role ng librarians ang mag bigay ng access sa mga aklat/ereaders para sa komunidad. Role din ng librarians na turuan ang komunidad na gumamit ng aklat/ereaders.

d. Dahil sa pagbabago ng kaisipan at pag gamit ng information at kaalaman, dapat, patuloy na natututo ang librarian.

May gagamit pa rin ng aklat. May gagamit rin ng ebooks/ereaders. Pero, ebook man or traditional na aklat, magbabasa at magbabasa ang mga tao. READING remains. Skilled reader ba ang librarian? Kailangan, skilled and competent readers ang librarian para skilled and competent readers din ang library users.

Ebook Issues

It has come to this.

Developing a virtual and digital collection in a library is inevitable. The resurrected ebook sensation of 2010 swept the country with fear, doubt, anxiety and to tech savvy creatures and marketing mavens, excitement. It's a highway to big earnings for those who produce the technology but for librarians, it is another road towards change. And change must be managed before adopting and adapting the (not so new) ideas and paradigms. After all, the more things change, the more they remain the same.

Be careful. Be cautious. Be humble.

The rise of the ereaders and ebooks poses many challenges and considerations to the libraian: budget, technology, collection development policy, technology, and behavior and needs of information consumers and creators. Like in any initiative or project, administrative support is necessary for the project to fly. Consider continuous professional growth as well. Having said these, a librarian must assess and study his/her environment and the requirements of installing ereaders and providing an ebook collection in the library.

Below are library blogs that discuss the management, limitations, advantages and benefits of ebooks.

School Libraries, RIP? The debate begins... Mark Steed writes, The more I think about it, the more I find myself questioning why we are still spending money on books and on the School library.

Ebook Management for SchoolKerrie Smith provides a scenario of how schools manage their ebook collection from an Australian experience.

The Librarian In Black vents out -- I care about digital content in libraries. And I am about to lose my cool in a big way. No more patience, no more waiting for advocacy groups to do their work, and certainly no more trusting vendors to negotiate good deals for us with the publishers. I am angry, I am informed, and I am ready to fight. Read the fill article on the Library ebook Revolution

Meredith Farkas on Information Wants To Be Free, enjoys using her Kindle but expresses some concerns for ereaders and ebooks use in the library.

If there's one thing we need to do to start taming our own ebook issues, it is that we have to know how others have begun and then, examining our own library context, see how we can do it. Call it a feasibility study. Ebooks are cool. Ereaders are great. But the wise know better.