We Need a Name!

We recently discovered that our official name according to some old dusty documents appears to be The Latah County Free Library District Foundation. That's a ridiculous moniker; it doesn't even lend itself to a decent acronym. We need to shorten it. Since we've been calling ourselves the Latah County Library Foundation, why not make it official? Here is a video I made and sent to the board requesting an email vote on the name. I thought I would share it with y'all.
Go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-EXTBVoPqs

A creative new way to support your library that won't cost you a cent

After checking out just about every conceivable kind of fundraiser possible, the Foundation board is pleased to announce an innovative way to support your library. The good news is that it will not cost patrons and library supporters a single cent.

There are two integrated aspects to the program. The first takes advantage of the concept of online shopping, which has exploded to a 30 billion dollar industry practically overnight. Almost everyone shops online now. This trend will undoubtedly increase in light of our sagging economy and high gas prices. Shopping online makes sense because it saves time and money.

Online shopping is something that people are doing already anyway, so why not direct some of that 30 billion dollars into worthwhile non-profit organizations such as the Latah County Library Association?

How is this possible? It all starts with the concept of an online shopping mall, the biggest mall ever constructed, for it contains over 1400 stores. All the stores you would expect to find in a typical brick and mortar mall are all there such as Macy's, Target, WallMart, Sam's Club, Radio Shack, and many, many more.

The process is simple, once you enter the Library Foundation Mall online, you are redirected to the Website of the actual store where you will do your shopping. The sales are tracked and the stores pay a rebate to the Library Foundation for items purchased. You pay the same price you would normally pay, but the Foundation gets a donation from the company in return for referring you to its site.

Accordingly, you can help you library by doing something that you are already doing, and your online shopping will help us to expand our services to the entire community.

How do you access the Foundation Shopping Mall? Here comes the exciting second part of the program. It involves a free, downloadable search bar powered by Yahoo. TGhere are four buttons on the searchbar. The first button takes you to the Library's Website. The second button takes you directly into the shopping mall. The third button takes you to the Foundation Website and the last button to the Foundation blog.

This bar is a great way for the library and foundation to keep in touch with patrons and to remind visitors to go shopping in the mall with an easy and convenient access point. But it gets even better.

Yahoo will pay the Foundation ten cents for every click on a sponsored link. So, ten clicks is a buck. We would like to ask all of our patrons and supporters to make it a habit to click on ten links a day. Just imagine. We have 16,000 library card holders. What if they all did ten clicks a day? That would yield us $16,000 a day! Of course that's not going to happen, but every little bit helps and the potential is staggering.

So, with these two exciting technologies now in place, we ask you to do your part to support your library. Please shop online and click away to your heart's content if you love your library.

To get your free toolbar, click on the link in the right sidebar. Don't worry. The toolbar is guaranteed by Yahoo not to have any spyware, malware or any kind of tracking whatsoever.

Click if you love your library!

Free eBooks and AudioBooks @ Your Library

My first article in the realm of digital technology was about eBooks many moons ago. It was full of enthusiasm and optimism.  A lot has happened in the fledgling eBook industry over the past few years with major players in and out. While eBooks did not take off in the revolutionary explosion many predicted, there has been a steady evolution. Just as TV never replaced radio, it is not likely that eBooks will completely replace treebooks, but eBooks are now and forever firmly entrenched in our digital culture.

Another, related consideration is that the use of computers for doing research and accessing information has caused less interest in libraries and treeBooks as a resource for information. Consequently, libraries have been busy reinventing themselves to remain relevant in a digital world.

A couple of years ago I attended a conference composed mostly of librarians on the subject of the digital native. A digital native is a person who has grown up in the digital age and takes the associated technology for granted. A digital native normally has little use for a library, has no idea what a card catalog is, and would probably rather play a video game than read a treebook for entertainment. The concern of the workshop was how can libraries reach out to the digital native and remain relevant in the community.

One of the ways libraries have retooled their relevancy is by offering digital products. But it’s not enough to offer CDs with music, books, and movies. Once the copy is checked out, it is no longer available. And, just like treeBooks, they can also become lost and damaged

A much better solution is one offered by services such as NetLibrary that libraries can subscribe to that allows patrons to download eBooks and eAudiobooks. This means that if you have a library card and a NetLibrary account, you can download thousands of titles on your computer from any remote location without even having to go into the library. Suddenly, even the smallest library can offer thousands of electronic titles to its patrons. However, the NetLibrary system is flawed in only allowing one person to view a book at a time, which misses the whole point of electronic technology.

Check out time is 21 days after which the license expires and you can no longer access it. You don’t have to worry about returning it or paying past due fines. If you want to renew it, you simply get a new license for another 21 days. Pretty slick, eh?

If your library uses WorldCat for its electronic catalog, both eBooks and eAudiobooks are integrated and clearly indicated as electronic media available for download directly from the catalog listing.

I like to take road trips, and one of my greatest delights is listening to a good audiobook to make the time pass pleasantly. I used to stock up on books on tape, then CD’s. But when I finished them, I usually had to package them up and return them to my library, which was a costly bother. Now, when I am finished listening to an audiobook, I merely delete it and download another one no matter where I am at the time.

To take advantage of this program, you should check to see if your library subscribes to NetLibrary. With a NetLibrary account, you can use your library Website as a portal into the NetLibrary site. Then it is simply a matter of navigating to the download page and choosing whether you want to acquire eBooks or eAudiobooks. You can search for specific titles, authors, subject, or genres. The categories available include

• Arts & Entertainment
• Biography & Memoir
• Business
• Children's Classics
• Children's Fiction
• Children's Nonfiction
• Christian Fiction
• Classics
• Fiction & Literature
• Government & Politics
• Health & Medicine
• Historical Fiction
• History
• Horror
• Humor
• Language Studies
• Lectures
• Mystery & Suspense
• Nonfiction
• Philosophy
• Popular Fiction
• Popular Nonfiction
• Reference Works
• Religion & Spirituality
• Romance
• Science & Nature
• Science Fiction & Fantasy
• Self Help
• Sports & Recreation
• Study Aids
• Westerns
• Young Adult Classics
• Young Adult Fiction
• Young Adult Nonfiction

The number of titles available depends on the package that your library subscribes to, but I believe the starter package includes about 2700 eAudiobooks and 170,000 eBooks. 

I don’t know if you’ve priced an eBook lately, but they remain relatively expensive, at least as much as a paperback and can be as much as half the price of a hardback. I was always disappointed at the greed of the publishing industry for making popular title eBooks so expensive.

The eAudiobooks are almost always unabridged--no Reader’s Digest condensed versions allowed. Have you priced an unabridged eAudiobook lately? They can run $80 each or more.

When you consider the fact that these materials are a free service from you public library and the convenience of the service—virtually available from anywhere you have an Internet connection--I think you should give your librarian a big hug next time you are there physically.

eBooks

NetLibrary, unfortunately, has not helped to further the cause of eBooks in my opinion. Your library must have acquired an Adobe Content Server Gateway License in order to download eBooks in PDF format. Many libraries do not have this option available, in which case you may only read the works online in your computer. You could laboriously copy each page and transfer it to a handheld device, but that is hardly worth the effort.

Alternatively, you can go to www.etext.lib.virginia.edu  to download free eBooks in Palm and Microsoft Reader format. You visit Project Gutenberg at www.gutenberg.org for free eBooks in text, .html, and Plucker formats. Of course you can read Palm, text, and .html files if MobiReader, which I highly recommend. There is even a limited number of eAudiobooks available from Gutenberg.

Of course, if you want to pay for your eBooks and get more current releases, there are many sites available. My favorite is www.mobireader.com and www.ebooks.com.  

NetLibrary’s choice of PDF format for eBooks is a poor one, for reading an eBook in this format is the worst possible experience. It would have been much better to select a reader such as MobiPocket that allows bookmarking, annotating, drawing, highlighting, searching, altering type size/style, color, and backgrounds plus popup dictionary definitions by merely tapping a word. This is what makes reading an eBook so worthwhile on a handheld device compared to a treeBook. PDF formatted eBooks are little better than a treeBook without most of the aforementioned features.

If there’s a book that you really would enjoy reading, it might be worth downloading it, converting it to text and then putting it into a MobiPocket reader so that you will have all the enhancements to make it an enjoying reading experience.

If your library doesn’t have the deluxe eBook package you are likely to find a collection of musty, old copyright expired works that haven’t been on a best seller list for at least a hundred years.

But, if your library can afford it, you will find many best sellers and popular titles and authors offered.

eAudiobooks

The eAudiobooks may be listened to on any device that is compatible with the WMA format. That means that you cannot listen to them on iPhone,  iPod, or Zune devices because of DRM issues. But you can listen to them on any Windows Mobile device and most MP3 players.

You can choose whether you want CD or radio quality sound. You must choose CD quality for use on handheld devices. Hit the download button, and when the file has finished you can listen to it on your computer. If you wish to transfer it to your Windows Mobile device or to an MP3 player, follow the transfer instructions for your specific machine. You must also acquire a license for the remote device, which is a bothersome extra step. Why not download it in a single operation? You can use Windows Media Player for file transfer if you wish by invoking the sync function.

You can listen to eAudiobooks on your Windows Mobile device using Windows Media Player. However, you cannot bookmark where you left off in Media Player, which is a nuisance. There are, however, several audio players available that do allow bookmarking. Some of my favorites include Pocket Tunes Deluxe by NormSoft, Pocket Player by Conduits Technologies, and AudioPlayer by Vito Technologies. These players will allow you to add bookmarks for listening convenience.

Other devices

NetLibrary lists several tested devices that work with the system:

Archos Gmini 4021 Camcorder, Archos 104, Creative Zen 2/4/8/16/32 GN, Creative Zen V, Creastive Zen V Plus, Creative Zen Vision W, Creastive Zen Vision M 60 GB, Samsung YP-T7JZ, Samsung YP –Z5, Samsung YP-S5, Samsung YP-K#A, Toshiba Gigabeat S30. 

I have personally tested two Sandisk Sansa devices, the Clip and the Fuze MP3 players. Both of these slim and diminutive players perform perfectly and allow bookmarking, which makes them ideal for audiobook listening and I recommend them highly.

Sandisk Sansa Fuze and Clip MP3 Players

Conclusion

While I appreciate NetLibrary making its services available to public libraries so that patrons can enjoy free and remote access to a wide array of eBook and eAudiobooks, its choice of formats is not the best, for it precludes some of the most popular devices such as iPods and the best eBook reader programs such as MobiPocket and eReader. Using .pdf format for eBook downloads is most unfortunate. Using only WMA format for eAudiobooks is equally unfortunate.

Consequently, NetLibrary has ultimately done a disservice to the evolution and acceptance of eBooks. It has perpetuated the myth that eBooks can only be read on computer terminals. By selecting .pdf format, readers are offered the least desirable reading experience with few of the features available that make reading eBooks so desirable in the first place. NetLibrary has made it difficult and expensive for libraries to offer eBook downloads.

These are the kind of bumps in the evolutionary pathway to the acceptance of digital media that just slows down the progress and will take longer for the public to embrace it. NetLibrary should go back to the drawing board and reinvent itself for it is poised to make a great contribution because of its distribution network, but it needs to update its formats and streamline its processes.

I do applaud the efforts of so many local libraries in their efforts to become more relevant in a digital world. It’s just too bad that they are limited in their choices. NetLibrary needs some competition. The digital literati would benefit and rejoice with many new converts along the way.

Tame The Web » Blog Archive » Txt a Librarian

Tame The Web » Blog Archive » Txt a Librarian

Cyberarted: e-Publishing Content Serenade

Cyberarted: e-Publishing Content Serenade

It occurs to me that the evolution of eBooks could be accelerated if they were turned into an advertising vehicle with embedded ads. Then they could be distributed freely without the DRM debacle and paranoia of the music industry. Text with graphics is a a natural for the eBook platform.

Tim Hillebrand

Will Kindle light a fire under eBooks?

No doubt you've heard about another, ho hum, eBook reader called Kindle offered by Amazon.com. Once all the hype dies down, I predict it is doomed to failure for many reasons that are all too familiar from past false starts. First of all, it is a proprietary, unifunctional device. It just costs too much and it does only one thing, and it only reads one format from a single source. It's also too big and clumsy. While I applaud Amazon's attempts at eBook promotion, I think it would be better advised to promote MobiPocket, which is a company Amazon recently acquired, but are not doing much with. Too bad. I'd much rather read a MobiPocket eBook on my multi-functional PDA, which I can also use as a phone, TV, satellite radio, send and receive email, do word processing, cruise the Internet and more for the same price or less.

Anyway, here's a fairly positive review for you to read and learn more about what I believe will be an ill-fated device.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2007/11/27/why-kindle-will-change-the-world.aspx

Tim Hillebrand

Expresso Book Machine for Libraries

Check out this article about a print-on-demand book machine that will print a novel in three minutes for three bucks. Would this be of interest to our libraries and to our patrons?



http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/11/03/expresso-book-machine-is-a-time-magazine-invention-of-the-year/



Of course, my major objection is that it promotes treebooks for troglodytes instead of eBooks for the eLiterate.



Cheers,

Tim Hillebrand