eBooks and Libraries

I have usually found that most librarians do support books in any format (once they get used to the idea), be it print, audio, or e-text. Some of the interesting things being done with libraries lately that I have found as exciting changes have been the libraries that have removed the reference section and replaced it with databases and ebook reference material. One big thing that could happen with a switch to ebooks for college libraries is that the libraries may also start including more novels and such for recreational reading and not just research reading. I think that such a change would be reflective of the change that all libraries seem to be going though. Ebooks seem to have been a catalyst for all kinds of change. Ebooks are having an impact change in educational textbooks, they have become one of the big user for high readers, and we can see changes occurring for libraries. Perhaps the future library (public, PK12, or college) will be more of a mix like bookstores became. They will be meeting and work spaces, along with having books, references and support persons. You will have access to local special collections, use terminals that are already connected to subscribed databases and you will be able to sit down and access the library books though your ebook device, perhaps some only short term (like a four hour check out) while others could be long term (two week check out), all while having a glass of tea or a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.

Survey shows support among college librarians for switch to e-books
Many college librarians would favor a switch to all-digital materials if reliable access was available, a new study by nonprofit Ithaka S+R shows. Complicating the transition, though, are mixed views among library officials about how to proceed, and uncertainty about the costs and benefits of different systems for e-book access. InsideHigherEd.com (4/4)

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Auto Summarization

In dealing with textbooks and students with disabilities, one of the most common things that we would do is to get the textbook in a digital format, as an ebook. By doing this we were able to use a number of tools based on the need of the student. I've had students who could not lift their physical printed textbook, but would be able to access though a laptop installed in their electronic wheelchair, for students with vision issues we could boost the font size or use a text-to-speech tool to have the book read aloud to them. One tool that I used with a number of my students who had issues was the Auto Summarize tool in Word. The tool works well with textbook, but wouldn't work for other texts, such as novels. I used this to reduce the amount of text that they had to read, the "cognitive load" of the text, but would still enable be able to get the information. Word did a great job, and depending on the student I would reduce the text to about 66% for facts and support...

Ebooks as Textbooks - Part 2 - Highlighting

Highlighting can be a very effective tool in reading and learning no matter the kind of text being read: from novels to textbooks. Most textbooks or other forms of information text will usually used text features along with graphics to help organize information presented in the text. These elements are done to help focus attention on important or key concepts and provide additional information. The text organization itself can include structural elements such as heading, subheading, index, glossary, paragraph spacing, bulleted or numbered lists, sidebars or side boxes, italics, underlines or bold for words or even sections. Graphic content can include the use of symbols, colors, illustrations, pictures, diagrams, charts, and graphs. Poor highlighting design - too much text has been highlighted. The act of highlighting is less time consuming and much easier than note-taking ( to be discussed in an upcoming posting). To be ...

Ebooks as Textbooks Part 8: Textbook structure

Textbooks usually have a structure, and it doesn't matter if it is an electronic textbook or a paper printed one, the people who put the textbook together usually make it have a structure to help you better understand what you are reading and learning. Textbooks are usually a type of text known as informational or expository text - this is text written to inform, and can be things like textbook chapters, newspaper and magazine articles, and other reference materials like encyclopedia items. The other kind of text that you usually encounter in school is narrative text, where a story is being told - which could be fictional or non-fiction. And while textbooks are informational text, many will also have narrative text, usually as stories to help you better understand the concept, although in an English or literature class the stories are often more the focus of the learning. Textbook Elements With an electronic textbook it might be hard to see the structure, because you cant riffle...

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