I read my first ebook… all the way through

I read my first ebook from start to finish. Sure, I’ve dabbled with ebooks before, I’ve even bought a few for my iPhone, but a few weeks ago I read one cover to cover over one weekend. Granted the book was awesome, but the thing about reading a good book is the fact that the content is great, not the tangible qualities of the paper. When I finished I wanted to download another.

 

The iPad is my eReader of choice. I’ll skip a review of the features because you can find that elsewhere, but it’s the first time I honestly felt that I could transition away from print.

 

Anyway. I came across a series of posts:

 

• 5 Ways That Paper Books Are Better Than eBooks

• 5 Ways That eBooks Are Better Than Paper Books
  

The author makes good points on both sides of the argument, but I wanted to address one: texture. The author raves about the “feel” of print but as a (former?) print book lover I must confess that it’s not a big deal. I can understand the point of someone talking about the cold impersonal feel of ebooks, but seriously, once I was about halfway through I didn’t even notice a difference… other than the efficient note-taking feature.

 

Reading is an experience, not a container. But it doesn’t have to be either/or. There are a segment of people out there (like my aunt) who will read more often if it is on a digital device. And she would use her public library more often if they could find a way for her to borrow books on her Kindle. Licensing content for ereaders should be a top five goal for librarians right now.

 

Weight was another thing that bugged me at first—the iPad is a bit heavy. My brother’s comment: “man up” -- and he’s right--- I got use to the weight after awhile and it became comfortable, even addictive. I didn’t want to let it out of by grip.

 

Lastly. The iPad had a cover allowing you to prop up the book (much easier than folding back pages!) and it actually has a great texture to it. I imagine these covers will become customizable before too long and that Apple will engineer a “hardback book feel” should it be desired.

 

Courtesy Renewal

I’m speaking as a patron here, not as a library employee. Why don’t libraries auto renew my books? Let’s say I have an item out… or 50… the due date is approaching. No one has a hold. No one has placed a recall. I’ve only had it for one loan period... why must I log in and click renew? Instead… it would be cool if I received a message three days before it is due back letting me know that the item has received a courtesy renewal of a few more weeks. You’d score big customer service points with me if you did that. Just a thought.

Comments

[Flora]

Hi Brian,

I think that's a great idea about the "auto renewals!" I often find my ebooks/audiobooks returned before I could finish them!

There should of course be a preferences setting somewhere for the borrower to turn the option on or off.

Flora - librarian from Malaysia

[walt crawford]

Re the autorenewal idea...partly to play devil's advocate, partly semi-serious: Because it reduces the browsability of the library collection. I choose about 95% of the books I get from my public library through shelf browsing. That may be peculiar, but there it is. Is that a major point? Dunno....

[brian]

@Walt. I had considered the serendipity factor-- My borrowing has changed over the years. Now I browse bookstores and amazon for titles and then check the shelf... if out or missing... I use ILL.

But sure, I'll grant you that accidents happen when your eye falls upon a title you didn't expect to find and it's exactly what you want... but the other side of that argument is -- would you rather have a book sitting on a shelf that could "potentially" be checked out or would you rather have it in the hands of someone who is actually using it?

Oh and I will say this... about ebooks. I know that a number of public libraries are subscribing to overdrive-- I've not used it but I hope to talk with them at the next ala. If they can provide the same quality and range of books as amazon for all devices (nooks, kindles, and ipads) then that is the way to go.

[Jen Waller]

Something that didn't strike me about ebooks until later...

My first "read all the way through" ebook was "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle." When I mentioned to a friend that I had just finished it she replied, "Oh, that's so long! I don't have time to read that."

I had NO idea how long the book was before I read it. I didn't actually have a good sense of how long it was while I was reading it either. I wonder if would have picked up a nearly 600-page book if it had been sitting on the shelf.

Perception is an interesting phenomenon, no?

[Heidi]

Playing devil's advocate as well... The late fees generated by overdue books, while not the primary source of income for a library, would significantly decrease with the advent of courtesy renewals. The libraries that I have worked for have 3 week loan periods, with the option of 2 renewals if there are no holds on the item, and I am inclined to think that more people keep their books about a month than keep them for 9 weeks. So, two courtesy renewals would be nice from the patron side of things, but not such a great idea from the library side.