Bookless Libraries

This is what a lot of libraries could look like in the future. When all books are finally available online will libraries decide to withdraw print? What will we do with the space?
I like the atmosphere of openness the University of British Columbia Library provides. Very nice.

 

IKBLC Interior 32

Originally uploaded by UBC Library Graphics

Is Kindle Just Another eReader?

This review of the Amazon Kindle was really notable to me because Lifehacker reader Pete Riley actually itemized Kindle’s pros and cons so nicely:

The Kindle has a number of benefits over its rivals and over reading real paper material. First, it weights only 10 oz: It’s lighter than most paperbacks. But since you can hold hundreds of books on the device, it’s effectively weightless.

Second, access to the Amazon store and the internet in general is fast and free. This point cannot be over-emphasized: Free access to the internet! The experience is not like using a laptop with a Wi-Fi connection, but it is significantly better than using a cell phone. Amazon has also made buying e-books amazingly quick and simple; it is literally one click.

Third, many of the books are offered at reduced prices, and most, if not all of the NY Times best sellers go for $9.99. Amazon claims that they currently have over 100,000 books in Kindle format, together with a selection of newspapers, magazines, and blogs.

Fourth, You can email yourself a variety of files (PDF, rtf, doc, txt, etc.) of research papers, public domain books, user manuals, or web page clipping for 10 cents.

Fifth, you can play digital music on the device and listen with standard 3.5mm headphones. This is not something I have tested, nor do I have any inclination to do so. My iPod Nano serves this purpose.

And sixth, the screen is surprisingly clear and bright, much better than many paperbacks I have read.

Pete’s cons:

No device is perfect and the Kindle is no exception. For starters, it costs $399. That’s relatively cheap by e-book reader standards (The iRex Iliad 2nd edition costs $699) but expensive when compared to a paperback book … or ten … or thirty. If we assume Amazon’s discounts on the Kindle e-books are $10 on average, the device would require 40 purchases to break even. However, if you read books from the public domain, such as Project Gutenberg, this break-even number could be much lower.

Another problem is that images within PDF-formatted documents don’t always appear. To be fair to Amazon, the fact that they even support PDF conversion should be acknowledged; however, to achieve the truly paperless library is going to require better handling of graphics. And forget about converting PDF books that were scanned in as images. Until they can perform optical character recognition (OCR) “on the fly,” these books will not be converted effectively for the Kindle.

So free access the internet seems the big one for me. That is incredible. Of course it is a little lame to have to pay to email yourself, though. I cringe wondering where that small fee will lead when users demand more services. Cell phone-like subscription prices eventually? *Sigh*

I have been on the waiting list at my institution to get at this thing and try it out myself for about two months now. As a reader for books I’m sure it is great, but I don’t see e-readers that are only e-readers going anywhere. Just as Pete mentions, the cool thing about Kindle is not that it is a nice book reader so much as it can read a lot of different formats and it accesses the internet. This is why cell phone usage went through the roof (that and the price for a basic phone dropped). The cell phone was no longer “just a phone” but a calendar, a clock, a contact list, a web browser, a texting device, a camera, etc.

What does all this mean for libraries? The Kindle is kind of old news in the library blogosphere but there are definite connections to higher education in general. Textbooks? Someday soon if not now already. Word processing? Doubtless in the works (esp. if there is already a clumsy PDF reader application). Once multi-touch combines with something like this we will have a very portable computer, complete with internet access. It will just happen to also be a cheap and easy way to read and buy books from Amazon.

Successful Library Instruction

At the close of another instruction season for me, I have some observations.

Energy

I found that movement around the classroom made a huge difference in attention. Although it felt awkward at times, even showing a book or other item of interest behind the first few rows changed things up and kept the students off-balance enough to renew their focus.

Another technique I found effective was voice variation. I got more mileage out of emphasizing through whispers than I did through loud excitement. Of course it was the bellowing that made the whispers unusual.

Meaning

What do you do when you hear, “I don’t like my topic” or the softer “I don’t really have a topic yet”? My first response is always, “What’s your major?” Freshman writing can be dangerous going down this road. If they are Undeclared, I move on to “What do you like to do?” Essentially, I try to get them to tell me what they are interested in, why they are in the major they are in, what they do in their spare time, etc. From there we talk about how their individual interests actually can connect with the assigned umbrella topic.

Once they have a topic that they are actually interested in, they need to find information and resources. Students really respond when they see how a tool applies to their research. Answering the “So…how is this supposed to help ME?” question in their eyes can do wonders. Sometimes a practice run through a database with a student’s real topic doesn’t go that well (0 hits). Taking the extra time running through ways of broadening search terms pays dividends. My favorite thing to do is open it up to the whole class. The more or the students who participate openly, the more other students can gain ideas and confidence from their peers.

Control

One of the tools I love to introduce is the bibliography generator (in our case, RefWorks). I know that everyone gets an “ooh, aaah” out the of three-second Works Cited page but I like RefWorks because of its organization potential. I love helping students see how having links back to the item or at least a citation can help them speed up the initial source-finding process. Mark it and export so you can look at it later without having to re-search again.

One of the aspects of library instruction I find can be potentially frustrating is teaching how to use the library catalog. Since the OPAC is not as usable as Google, students can quickly become turned off by it. Helping them see that general terms are best in the OPAC and specific are best in subscription databases has increase the usefulness of the library and books in general. Monographs in the catalog have a lot more information than what their title and limited LCSH have to tell about them.

Connection

Finally, even though the instruction sessions are designed to be formal, finding a way to connect to each student is invaluable. Be personal; allow yourself to laugh with them. Show interest in what they are researching and why. This helps you connect faster when you go one-on-one with them during their personal practice time; now they will really accept your help when you approach them. If you honestly try to remember their topics and majors, or at least show that you tried (by guessing and failing) you will have another connection.

One of the funnest ways I have found to connect with the students is learning their names. 20 students names in only 1 to 2 hours (depending on your program)? Mission: possible. Be at the door when they come in and ask them. Then in the middle of instruction you can use the name when they raise their hand or if you call on them. If you forget, take a minute and try to remember. A good laugh comes quickly when students see an instructor struggling on a name–but it also adds credibility. All people, not just students, what to be treated as individuals.

“How is this book really related?”

Lorcan Dempsey has a great look at Windows’ answer to GoogleBook: Windows Live Book Search. The cool part: a visual representation of where in the book your search terms are mentioned. Quick way to find out just how useful the book would be.

So Where is Your Library?

Check out what LibraryThing has just added as of yesterday: LibraryThing Local. Man, this thing is awesome and super easy (I added my library in all of two minutes). I see huge potential in collaborating with other libraries and bookstores in the area. Now you can really know what your other local bibliophiles across town are up to.

It seems the next logical step is having a catalog search box embedded into each library’s LT Local page or (eventually) have a record in LibraryThing for the library’s holdings through batch loading. Too optimistic? Probably, but still fun to dream about.

Just one more way to get your library out there and connecting with users in non-traditional ways. And it’s COOL (I guess I just really love maps…).