David Rothman writes “Best-sellers are played up in a gutsy experiment with e-book tech by the Cleveland library system, and guess what? Fiction is now whipping nonfiction in defiance of what Walt Crawford wrote in the January issue of Cities & Insights: Crawford at Large–in his
customary role as a zealous skeptic of e-books. We’re not just talking about sci-fi for geeks, one of Crawford’s exceptions. The most popular e-book at the CPL in 2003 was The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold’s best-selling first novel that made the critics rave. Just one nonfiction title cracked the top five list, and only six were among the top 25. So, yes, some recreational readers outside Project Gutenberg circles are finally are starting to read e-books “cover to cover”–popular fiction, not just “pseudobooks” such as tax guides and CliffsNotes.
David Rothman writes “Best-sellers are played up in a gutsy experiment with e-book tech by the Cleveland library system, and guess what? Fiction is now whipping nonfiction in defiance of what Walt Crawford wrote in the January issue of Cities & Insights: Crawford at Large–in his
customary role as a zealous skeptic of e-books. We’re not just talking about sci-fi for geeks, one of Crawford’s exceptions. The most popular e-book at the CPL in 2003 was The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold’s best-selling first novel that made the critics rave. Just one nonfiction title cracked the top five list, and only six were among the top 25. So, yes, some recreational readers outside Project Gutenberg circles are finally are starting to read e-books “cover to cover”–popular fiction, not just “pseudobooks” such as tax guides and CliffsNotes.
E-book circulation figures in Cleveland are still small. But the experiment by tech services head Tish Lowrey and colleagues is laudable and worth watching because, if it’s successful, then similar efforts could eventually help public libraries save buckets of tax money. Think of all the hit books that libraries stock up on in paper, only to see demand vanish in six months. Not that electronic reference acquisitions should be neglected. But some unconventional thinking about e-books and recreational reading could go a long way, as long as libraries don’t overdo it. Public domain e-books could be a partial solution for libraries without budgets for Cleveland-type experiments.
One thing that could help, in Cleveland and King County, Washington, which is also putting up contemporary e-books, though not with quite the same emphasis on best-sellers, would be better formats. Adobe Reader isn’t the most pleasant-to-use software on PDAs (Reader 6 won’t even run on them). And yet, for many but not all patrons, PDAs are far better for recreational reading than are desktops. Great way to laze back on the sofa and truly enjoy an e-book, as opposed to having to sit at attention in front of a hot monitor. A more promising alternative to Adobe and Palm Reader, another format in Cleveland, is Mobipocket, which, on my 33 mhz Sony Clie PEG-SJ22 handheld, an about-to-be-discontinued model now on sale for about $100 at some Staples stores after a mail-in rebate, ran very acceptably.
OverDrive, the e-book vendor for Cleveland and King County and some other systems as well, says more than 10,000 titles from 150 publishers are in Mobipocket format. Functionally and aesthetically Mobipocket beats the others. I’d
strongly suggest that libraries promote Mobipocket’s use until the real solution comes along–a universal consumer format that could drive down costs for libraries and publishers alike and make the e-book market more competitive. A UCF with a standardized DRM Lite, as I’ll call it, could address the DRM issues that afflict e-books today. The flexibility of present systems still isn’t great enough–“Draconian” remains the best description. The less proprietary are e-book stanards in DRM and other areas, the less chance of repeats of the disgrace debacle at Gemstar.
Classes in PDA use could also help, more immediately, as could synergies with local computer clubs that have special-interest groups dealing with handhelds. PDAs, though a popular platform for e-books, come with their share of support challenges; and minus enough hand holding, many patrons are likely just to give up.
The issue isn’t just the looks of library Web sites. Even more, it’s what the e-books look like on patrons’ machines, and volunteers could help library users install spiffy fonts and otherwise tweak their e-book software.
I myself can read hour after hour on my handhelds without eye fatigue since I’ve set up everything just so. But how about newbies? In the present state of technology, e-books are somewhat like hearing aids, which, for optimal use, work far better when audiologists assist. I’d suggest that libraries use local news media, local Usenet news groups, official blogs and other areas of library Web sites to round up volunteers–and aggressively publicize case histories telling of the difference the volunteers can make. Librarians and support staffers have only limited amounts of time–very limited!–but imagine the potential of using volunteers to help scale up. Volunteers, in turn, having sampled the libraries’ e-book offerings, could also help spread the word about the e-book collections–working in this respect and others with Friends of the Library-type groups. What if Friends could even sell memory cards in popular formats, preloaded with public domain titles? Among other possible allies might be the PR departments of image-conscious corporations like IBM, which encourage community involvement.
Long term, as I see it, a TeleRead approach could help immensely by widening the range of titles and increasing the numbers available to local library patrons. Ms. Lowrey herself says the biggest issue with her isn’t format or hardware but rather content, and in my opinion a well-stocked national digital library system would be an efficient way to spread around resources for local librarians to package for their communities. Meanwhile a loud round of applause, please, for the Cleveland and King County systems and the other experimenters. Certainly it is easy to fall back on the old clichés about e-books and just carp away, pandering to popular prejudices. It is much, much harder–but potentially far more rewarding!–for libraries to experiment and give the medium a chance.”
Non-public domain ebooks still pricey
David has done a great deal to educate me about the topic of ebooks. Because of personal conversations we’ve had, I am now much more open to thinking about ebooks as viable alternative formats for public libraries. I would however, like to comment on his statement, “similar efforts (like Cleveland) could eventually help public libraries save buckets of tax money.” The library where I work just signed up for an ebook program through our regular jobber. I had assumed that titles would be much less costly, but learned that current, high-demand titles are the same price (maybe even higher). For instance, the book “Let’s Roll,” a 9/11 non-fiction book, despite being over a year old, is listed for $25 in eformat. I looked for current fiction titles, but apparently our jobber has very thin offerings. Older titles which are available in paperback, seem to be priced around $7 in eformat. I truly don’t understand why the price is the same as print format.
I would encourage public libraries who are looking for ebook programs to shop carefully. Ask to see the current catalog of titles and make sure you can get materials that your patrons will read. Beef up on format and “ownership” issues as well. I’m excited that we’re giving it a whirl and am anxious to see how it flies. From what research I’ve done, the OverDrive program that Cleveland is using seems to be one of the better ones.
CPL’s E-Books System Works Quite Nicely
I have found the system used by Cleveland Public Library to be great to use. While away from home and working towards my eventual MSLS, I typically download what I can to read as I usually get loaded down enough so as to not get off campus much (the campus library has no pleasure reading except for “browsing” and the local public library has a budget crunch right now that prevents buying anything new). The Left Behind series and its spin-offs read rather nicely on a PDA device. Non-fiction is a pain in the butt to read, though. Of course, in terms of non-fiction, I think I prefer having hard-copy in my hands anyhow.
A word to the wise is to not stay up curled up in bed reading a novel on one’s PDA: One’s eyes hurt a bit from doing such.
E-books . . . phooey!
The only reason I’m reading any books in electronic format is because I can download them at no cost and can find them fairly easily with a keyword search in the comfort of my own decadence. However, it is much greater satisfaction to slam a solid book shut on some annoying mosquito or fly. Try doing that with your monitor.
If only I could test it myself…
Since I don’t have a handheld, I won’t be able to sample the wares when we launch the new service. I wonder if that is an issue for other libraries. Generally, we are expected to understand the technology we provide to our patrons–if the library doesn’t provide handhelds and staff members don’t own them personally, who is responsible for patron training? Or do people who own handhelds just know how to deal with downloading stuff. Or is that even the library’s job? (fer instance, we have print books, but it’s not our job to teach people how to read those….). Any input from those who have had ebook programs?
Re:Non-public domain ebooks still pricey
Actually, Rochelle, we’re in agreement on some important basics and probably much more.
(E-)books often do cost too much–far too much!–in many cases, and that’s partly why I’ve been pushing for open standards and a national collection and the rest. At the very least, libraries might up with each other on electronic acquisitions at the state or regional level or beyond.
The more choices and clout the libraries have, the lower their costs. If memory serves, Cleveland is typically paying $9 a book. That’s better than the $25 book you mentioned. But if a way can be found to lower the $9 and still leave the pubisher and writer with fair compensation, that’ll be great. One factor to consider, of course, is that turnaround time with e-books potentially could be much less than with paper ones, allowing more patrons to enjoy them. Depends in part on the DRMed rights arrangement.
There is also the possibility of developing business models based on access counts rather than upfront costs per copy–just so there are controls to avoid budget-busting (without compromising services to patrons). A national approach could make this easier.
Meanwhile with e-books in use to augment paper collections, libraries could spend less on physical expansion and related costs should as heating. Eventually these savings could add up. No instant miracles promised.
> I looked for current fiction titles, but apparently our jobber has very thin offerings.
I’d like to see libraries able to buy books from anyone. Long business relationships between libraries and vendors are great, but patron needs should come first!
While I’ve often disagreed with OverDrive’s CEO on format matters and the related DRM ones, I’m hoping he’ll show some flexibility–perhaps with help from folks like you.
Meanwhile the Cleveland experiment is A Good Thing, just so other libraries follow your excellent advice. SHOP CAREFULLY. Work with other library systems. Compare notes.
One last detail. Instead of worrying about doing the middleman act to the hilt, I’d love to see OverDrive-style companies help libraries with training services and others. Too, I’d like to see OverDrive and other firms invest in technologies to make it easier for patrons to use e-books. Now that would be adding value. Already OverDrive does seem to add flair to libraries’ Web design (even if I don’t agree with everything the company does in the design area). But expensive middleman acts? Hey, that’s bad for libraries and vendors. Unsustainable!
So, Rochelle, keep plugging away on the costs–and format issues, too!
Thanks,
David
Re:If only I could test it myself…
Appropriate headline! But do think about the paper book analogy. Hey, librarians have done wonders with desktop training for themselves and patrons, and now they need to do the same with PDAs in a Real World sense.
That’s why I mentioned that PDA sale at some Staples stores. Don’t buy any e-book-related products or services without seeing them in action on a PDA (in fact, ideally both a modest Palm and a no-frills Pocket PC) rather than just a desktop.
Will mention training issues more directly later on. But first more thoughts on purchases and shopping–including the kind in connection with training.
Librarians need to see e-books as patrons see them. Set a good example. Go out personally for good technology. That’s why I talked about Mobipocket vs. Adobe and warned of the need to look around for readable fonts (alas, not all e-book software allows this). Obviously libraries must worry about issues at the institutional level, but there’s no substitute for familiarizing yourself with the actual hardware and software to make sure that patrons will appreciate the end results. Perhaps for staff training purposes, your local Friends group can help out, or local companies can donate older-model PDAs that are still current enough to do justice to e-books.
When you shop for software, e-books, etc., avoid forcing patrons with PDAs to rely on resource-hungry e-book programs like Adobe Readers. That’s one way to keep users’ hardware costs down and increase the number of potential users. Adobe can and perhaps should be an option for the moment, but offer better choices as well–and hope that a Universal Consumer Format materializes soon. Pester vendors about it!
As for training of library staff, it could come from independent consultants, OverDrive-type companies, you name it–just be careful about efforts to tie you up with proprietary solutions. See if people at the companies have enough PDA experience or can find the right trainers. Have ’em show off PDAs they’ve actually set up–to see what the results are.
Sorry to mention the B word, but, yes, it’ll help to budget for training. Better a tiny e-book program with the right training than a huge one without a clueful staff.
Once librarians better know the technology, they can work more successfully with volunteers who can work with patrons.
If funds are not around for paid training of any type, then librarians can educate themselves.
No black magic here. Just start small (in a small town maybe even a test program at merely one neighborhood branch!) and try to set up ways of helping librarians and patrons get comfortble with the technology. My original article contained a link to a directory of local PC clubs, some of which have special interest groups dealing with handhelds. That’s a beginning. Also Google around for machine-specific user groups.
Believe me, this will be worth the fuss beyond the obvious economic reasons. Think of all the older people who can’t move around easily–a category that will dramatically increase with an aging populace. Some trusted volunteers might even do home visits to start ’em out on PDAs. Ditto for school-related visits. Again, as I said, a PDA right now is like a hearing aid. Needs to be tweaked for the actual user! This will change as the technology improves, but we ain’t there yet.
Will cherish librarians’ contributions to this thread. Anyone doing the volunteer thing–tapping the talents of local computer clubs? And just what handheld and software combos work for you when you read e-books–both the commrcial and public domain varieties? And please do try Mobipocket if you haven’t already. I want open, nonproprietary standards and better software, but meanwhile Mobipocket seems to be the best out there. If nothing else, it uses special technology to sharpen up the screens on many older handhelds. Here’s to frugal librarying and PDAing!
Thanks,
David
David Rothman | [email protected] | 703-370-6540
P.S. The little Sony Clie PEG-SJ22 I got for $75 (with a $30 rebate and $25 gift certificate factored in) is holding up well. The screen is actually sharper than that on a more expensive Dell.
Re:CPL’s E-Books System Works Quite Nicely
I myself can read hour after hour on my PDAs. The secret, as I keep saying, is to be picky about hardware and software combos (it’ll help if/when Cleveland offers Mobipocket, which OverDrive, its e-book vendor, has just taken on). No, I won’t promise that PDAs will delight all, but they should be an option.
As for nonfiction, PDAs can’t do justice to the fanciest of formatting. But (1) that’ll improve as the XML jocks get better and (2) affordable tablets with larger screens and better displays will be along. Kent Displays isn’t that far from you–right there in Northern Ohio.
Meanwhile there are zillions of nonfiction books that potentially could work out on PDAs.
I realize there are considerations besides formatting. Just wanted to address that one.
Anyway, before giving up on e-books for “hour after hour reading,” think about experimenting with the hardware and software. No guarantees, but you won’t know unti you’ve tried. Best of luck with that and with your studies!
David Rothman