Hand Held Book Readers

Any place you find a large collection of high-demand books, there’s a strong case to be made for replacing these masses of paper with e-book versions. The advantages are virtually endless, particularly now that e-book readers are into their second and third generation. The latest Kindle model even supports large format textbooks, so the end is definitely in sight for the sprawling libraries we know today. Let’s review the advantages of e-books, specifically within a library situation (there are benefits for consumers too, but that’s another market). First of all, there’s no waiting for an e-book once it’s released. When the publisher declares the book is “in print,” the electronic copies are available immediately, in any quantity. No waiting for an order to filled at the warehouse and shipped. Speaking of shipping, there are no shipping charges either; for an organization like mine that buys tens of thousands of volumes every year, going electronic can save thousands of dollars. We have a hard time keeping enough copies of certain popular books in circulation. It isn’t just the cost, but the amount of shelf space required. With e-book versions, we can order a copy for every student if we wish, and it has no impact on our available space. Wear and tear is also a thing of the past, since e-books don’t wear out, fade, or tear. Over time, the physical space required to house library collections will likely shrink, freeing up space for other activities and eventually allowing for smaller, more efficient library facilities. Starting an e-book collection from scratch is one thing, but it gets a little messier if you have an existing collection of unique books and find yourself facing a large scale ebook conversion project. Something of this scale is best not attempted with the resources at hand. It may be tempting to hire a bunch of students at ten dollars an hour and have them scan material a page at a time, but this is not going to end well. The ideal solution is to partner with an ebook services company that has the technology, experience and capacity to spearhead a project of this scale. They’ll help you through the details and ensure the end product is archival quality and compatible with all popular e-book formats. As part of the project, content can be intelligently tagged and recorded in a database, enhancing tracking and search capabilities so information can be accessed by staff or by online users. The age of e-books is here and it can only benefit libraries.

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