The eBook Challenge
by Stewart Savard
eLibrarian/eResource Teacher
SD#71 (Comox Valley)
ASUS Eee Reader - Image from Wired Magazine
In
spite of media hype, libraries will not disappear in the next few
years. But eBooks and eBook Readers will challenge the traditional
roles and practices of K-12 libraries and the staff who work there. Librarians need to know what eBooks are, how they may evolve and what eBook Readers are and how this technology may develop. As important as it may be to stay on top of technological developments, teacher-librarians also need to anticipate some changes in practice that will be required as eBooks and their readers show up in schools.
What are eBooks?
eBooks are books in a digital form. eBooks have been around for more than a decade. The availability of eBooks, like audio books, has been a source of interest for teacher-librarians, but their presence has not yet changed daily operations. The continued development of devices that ‘read’ eBooks, eBook Readers and changes in the sophistication of eBooks themselves will change that.
The first generation of eBooks—novels and some non-fiction material—were one-dimensional: they lacked sophistication and intelligent operations. The textual material, that could be found in a traditional novel was presented as a plain computer file. You could not, for example, pop up a map or photos to
enrich a story. Computers, both desktop and laptop, were the original
‘market’ for most of these eBooks. Many of the original eBooks were
either demonstration projects–not likely to have a large market–or material that was out of copyright, from groups such as Project Gutenberg.
Since
almost all contemporary books are, in publication form, computer files,
some publishers also sold copies of novels in a digital format. At the
same time as these fiction and non-fiction books were being marketed,
textbook and magazine publishers also began to offer their materials in
a digital format
such as a PDF file. In a school setting, requests for these formats
often came from the parents and teachers working with students facing a
variety of learning challenges.
There have been a number of problems with eBooks. Essentially these problems break down into two main categories: format issues and ownership. As with most new technologies, format[1]
has been, and to some extent still is, an issue. Some eBooks worked on
some computers and not on others. Some school computers had the
software needed to read an eBook and some didn’t. Proprietary, and
thus access limiting, formats were initially the norm. Recently, more
widely available formats such as PDF (from Adobe) and ePub
have become common. However, format challenges continue to plague the
acceptance of eBooks. Some publishers have begun to deal with these
concerns by providing their works in multiple formats. However, just as it took more than a decade to work through the VHS vs. Beta videotape and other format wars[2], some challenges remain. Without regard to the
eventual outcome, librarians, support staff, and district technicians
will have to gain some level of sophistication in dealing with format
issues in order to provide materials to students and teachers in a
digital format.
A second major problem with eBooks has been ownership. A purchase of a traditional book transfers ownership of that copy of a book and the rights to resell it to the purchaser. Intellectual copyright is retained by author and publisher. This
works well because of the challenges linked to copyright
theft—especially with novels. Digital resources present a very
different problem. The electronic transfer of files is simple and so, threatening to authors and publishers. Some early eBooks tried to address this with limits around Digital Rights Management: DRM.
Essentially, ‘buyers’ leased an eBook for a fixed term (even though
they might not have fully understood that). At the end of that term
their ability to access the eBook was extinguished. They didn’t own
the book. They couldn’t, in some cases, even transfer the book to
another computer (desktop to laptop). They couldn’t ‘lend’ the book to
a friend. In many cases they couldn’t print pages from a book: such as
a map or chart referenced throughout a chapter in that work. Public
libraries, such as the Vancouver Island Regional Library: VIRL, use specialized software to help manage eBook distribution and to retain the digital rights for an author/publisher. Users must download software,
provided by VIRL, onto their computer and then can access a book for a
‘term certain’ period (typically 21 days for a novel) before the file
becomes unusable.
Limits
on ownership of an electronic copy of a book cause other problems.
Will readers want to purchase books that they can’t re-read as they see
fit over years and decades? (Ask readers of the Lord of the Rings
series or Robert Munsch books how many times they have read those
books.) Some book owners make way for new material by selling their
‘read’ books to used book stores or by donating books to charities. eBook ownership, as it moves past the restrictions imposed by DRM schemes,
will certainly raise issues related to the transfer of that ownership
and the rights of the copyright holders. Libraries, with their special
responsibility to not violate copyright, will have to deal with these
issues. This will be especially true with eTextbooks as they reach the
end of a use cycle.[3]
In the last year or so, as more eBook readers have come onto
the market, textbook publishers have found new ways to market expensive
College and University materials for traditional computers and eBook
Readers. New companies, such as CourseSmart, provide students with a way to lease their textbooks as a kind of ‘subscription’.[4] ‘Subscriptions’ typically last for a semester or academic year and cost 50-60% of a print copy.
CourseSmart materials are available either via an online account or to
a specific, and “non-transferable” computer (a laptop for example) or
to an eBook Reader or smart phone such as the Blackberry Storm, Apple
iPhone or Palm Pre. Some eTextbooks allow computer versions of their
material to print pages or study materials or workbook questions; a function not always allowed, or possible, in other eBook formats. These kinds of ownership add more complexity to issues of ownership.
eBooks will evolve over the next few years. Some eBooks will continue to be presented in a one-dimensional format. Novels might remain largely one-dimensional.
Non-fiction material, newspapers and magazines and eTextbooks must
evolve if they are to retain value for both the user and seller. With
50 million K-12 students in the U.S. and another 18 million students at the college level, the textbook market is significant and competitive. Cash strapped governments at the K-12 level, such as California, are seriously looking at eTextbooks as a way to save money.
ARC BC: Accessible Resource Centre British Columbia, from SET BC,
is the K-12 educational body with the most experience with digital
resources. Established a little over a year ago, it has begun to
collect and distribute digital resources to qualified students throughout the province. ARC BC also cooperates with a number of similar bodies and agencies across Canada. The librarians at ARC BC
and the digital librarians associated with public libraries in BC have
key information and experience in handling, cataloguing, and the
distribution of digital resources that can be tapped into by the K-12
system.
eTextbook 2
Librarians can anticipate a fairly rapid evolution of eTextbooks. Rather than continuing to be one-dimensional, they will become more sophisticated. Additional material, which takes full advantage of the technology, can be added with minor
increases in the file size of an eTextbook. eTextbook 2 could contain,
for example, a fast slide show of a beating heart or of an engine
working—and so give the illusion of animation—without too much difficulty. eTextbook
2 could contain greatly increased information in the form of
glossaries, additional exercises, and even, and this is where teachers
might be interested, alternate formats that support different reading
and skill levels. The SFU Museum site “A Journey to a New Land” and the University of Michigan site “Windows to the Universe: The Earth’s Moon” provide Universal Design for Learning: UDL examples of content tailored to users.
Independent
suppliers of second edition eTextbooks might take this customization a
step farther. It is technically possible for a teacher to select
specific chapters from different textbooks in order to compliment their instruction. This could be done, for example,
with the McGraw-Hill Ryerson and Nelson Science 7 textbooks. Both
address the same provincial learning outcomes. A teacher might prefer
the presentation of the Earth Science unit from one publisher and the
Chemistry Unit from another. Independent textbook suppliers, working
with both publishers and a school, might sell, on a yearly basis or
longer, the rights to different parts of different textbooks to the
same school. (Publishers might find themselves in a situation where they need
to update their textbooks on a regular basis in order to be the
‘current’ supplier. This might have the beneficial effect of allowing
mistakes in textbooks to be corrected and new information added with
each new sub-edition.)
eTextbook 3
Second
edition eTextbooks are also likely to be quickly replaced by
multi-dimensional textbooks: eTextbook 3. Tailored to a student and
their teacher, in terms of their reading skills, learning style,
teaching style and other preferences, these books can and would be
updatable on an ongoing basis. A student showing mastery of a math
topic, might move, in their eTextbook, to a section expanding the breadth
or depth of their knowledge, whilst a student struggling with a topic
might receive additional help that compliments their needs and
strengths. Advances in a topic, such as Science, could be incorporated
into eTextbook 3s on an ongoing basis. In mid-September 2009, McGraw-Hill announced its version of an eTextbook 3 that allows students to capture audio and video copies of notes and link them to specific sections of the textbook, take quizzes and receive grades and suggestions for further work, and provide teachers with course management tools.
Teachers
might find that this kind of smart eTextbook, which need not be
platform or publisher dependant, could act as a powerful synthesising
agent and knowledge launch pad. This might bring value to a teaching
resource: the traditional textbook, which is frequently underutilized
because of its one-dimensional, and quickly outdated, format.
The combination of an adaptable primary information resource with the
powerful skill sets that teachers bring to their classroom might result
in some significant changes to education.
What are eBook Readers?
eBook Readers are electronic devices specifically designed to read eBooks. Typically, they show material using so-called e-paper
which allows text to be read, usually in black and white, much like a
paper book in direct sunlight. Text is stable on the screen and is not
constantly refreshed. As a result, battery life can extend for up to a week compared to hours for most laptops. (Computer-based PDF readers and programs such as the Microsoft Reader can read eBooks on those machines.)
Most manufacturers separate eBook readers into 5” and 6” sizes and bigger devices.[5]
Smaller devices, the 5” and 6” readers, are designed primarily for
paperback and trade paperback publications. eBook Readers have been
available for about a decade, but have only slowly been accepted by
large numbers of users. Part of the acceptance challenge they have
faced has revolved around incompatible formats, limited connectivity,
limited tools (so that all a reader could do was show text) and the
ownership issues linked to Digital Rights: DRM. The November 2007 launch of the Amazon Kindle provided a spur to the acceptance of eBook Readers.
In the fall and winter of 2009 a number of larger eBook Readers will appear. These include the Asus Eee Reader, the Amazon KindleDX, the PlasticLogic reader and Sony’s Daily Edition.
These devices can all present larger books, such as textbooks as well
as magazines and newspapers. Advances in technology continue at a
rapid pace. The ASUS device,
for example, is a clamshell style which will reportedly have two
screens (see photo at beginning of this article) and display colour
text. The two screens will allow it to act like a traditional
textbook. The screens can be used to display different information: a
textbook page, for example, and a supportively designed web page. The
Plastic Logic screen is about the size of a MacLean’s
magazine and has the same weight as a Seventeen or Transworld
Skateboarding magazine and a flexible plastic screen that might provide
considerable wear and tear for student users.
Built-in and add-on
memory cards allow these devices to easily hold all of the textbooks
required in K-12 schools and still have room for additional material.
Each wave of readers has had more technological sophistication. Models
out this fall reportedly include tools for user annotation/note taking,
limited printing, and the ability to play, through an earphone jack,
stored music and audio books as MP3 files. The ASSU device, raising
the stakes, is reported to have a microphone, built in speakers, and a
webcam that, via its wireless connection, will allow users to use Skype
and similar software. Most eBook Readers can access resources
wirelessly using a combination of Internet and cell phone technology.
(Although this connectivity is still limited in Canada as users of Kindle devices can attest.)
Newspapers,
such as USA Today and the Financial Times, which will be available on
the PlasticLogic Device and magazines, such as Time and the Economist,
already available on the Kindle, will be pushing for the kind of
technological convergence which brings users to these larger sized
products and keeps them there. A larger screen will allow publishers
to integrate advertising into their presentations in ways that attract
readers, rather than just taking up critical screen space. The more
users can rely on one device, the more likely that device will be
adopted.
Increased technology convergence seems likely with each new model.
Thus, an eBook Reader that allows you to read a book, view a GPS map,
answer a phone call (via Skype), read and respond to an email, and
listen to music or an audio book, and dictate notes for eventual
conversion via Speech to Text software seems likely in the near
future and represents significant challenges for the present
manufacturers of some of these separate devices. The search is on for
the value added device that reduces the number of gadgets in our
lives. Manufacturers are all looking for a Goldilocks solution.
Challenges for K-12 Libraries
Like
many new software programs and electronic devices the promises are
many. As these two separate technologies continue to advance, greater
and greater expectations will be placed on librarians and libraries.
These challenges can be largely summarized in four areas: ethical
issues, library planning and operations, content problems, and
mechanical problems.
Ethical
issues abound in the eWorld. Theft of copyright material is a
challenge facing the music industry and so it will be for publishers.
The fact that eBooks and eBook Readers are not likely to appear in
large numbers for the 2009-2010 year means that teacher-librarians have
the benefit of some time to begin to sort out ethical issues. While
copyright issues are important, social justice issues are, perhaps,
more critical. So the questions begin with: How do we
ensure equity, what role do librarians (and our technical advisors)
have in ensuring that all school distributed material is legal (that we
have purchased what we are distributing), what role do we have to play
in ensuring that school devices present,
at least in the main memory chips (provided within the machine), only
legally purchased material: eBooks, eTextbooks, audio books and music,
newspapers, magazines, where do our ethical responsibilities end, and
what powers, if any, do we have to enforce our ethical choices on
school supplied machines being used by students. (Can we require them
to delete stolen files from eBook Readers we supply?)
Planning
and operational challenges come in terms of: who, what, how, and
money. Who within a library, or school system, is going to act as the
initially responsible agent? What service, or services, will a school
library provide its
users. Will they, for example, be responsible for just eBooks? Will
eTextbooks be added on? Will they provide eReaders to staff and
students? (All staff and students?) Whom will they be responsible for
dealing with: publishers, content suppliers, and/or device suppliers?
How will they deal with the simple mechanism of ‘signing out’ an eBook or an eBook Reader?
Where will the money come from and are there assurances that this will
be built into the budget of the Education System, a School Board, and a
specific Library?
Resource management for eBooks and eTextbooks will be a second level of challenge for librarians. They will need to know
what has been selected (and by whom and from what budget), what they
have within their eCollection, in what format (a physical disk or a
downloadable file), the number of copies of a resource (from one or two
for a novel to potentially hundreds for an eTextbook), the mechanism
needed to purchase (lease) more copies, how to deal with Inter-Library Loans (ILL), and how to dispose of surplus to need copies.
Mechanical
problems will challenge libraries from the day the first eReader comes
into their school. Questions here include: where is the money for this
coming from, who is the supplier, who is responsible for minor
challenges, such as battery recharges and “I forgot my eReader at
home. Can I borrow another one?” to who is going to fix eReaders
devices, update their firmware and software and the software on school
computers that reads eBooks and eTextbooks. Because eReaders can hold
a significant amount of material, another technical question will
revolve around where, on a school managed device, the eTextbooks
reside. (Will these be near the core and not easily discarded by a
user who feels that their collection of 1950s Mad Magazines is more
important than their Science textbook or else a student may report that their “eTextbook didn’t work and couldn’t do their homework.”)
Challenges for Providers
Much
of this article deals with the potential of eBooks and eBook Readers.
An August 26, 2009 webinar presented some very interesting information
on how these technologies are doing on at least one college campus. In this webinar, titled “E-Readers and E-Textbooks: Current Reality and Future Possibilities” by Jon T. Rickman and Roger Von Holzen from Northwest Missouri State University,
the authors PowerPoint presentation reviewed that school’s decision to
invest in both eBooks and eBook Readers for a number of faculty and
students during the 2008-2009 academic year.
They found that there was a learning curve
for which they needed to provide training in order for students and
faculty to make effective use of the technology. Users wanted
eBooks/eTextbooks and either the readers or software to support keyword
searches and note-taking. These researchers also found that eReaders
captured attention, but did not keep it unless support features, such
as “search and annotation”, were built into them. (This supports the
need for devices that provide convergence to the multi-tasking
expectations of users.). Users found that some subject-based
eTextbooks were different from others. eTextbooks, with dense columns
of information in tables or charts, often did not display this
information as well as text-based material. (Thus, the need for
eTextbook 2 and 3.)
Students and faculty, according to Rickman and Von Holzen, found that, computer-based software readers provided more utility. On desktop and laptop computers, students could make more use of the material
because of built-in search and note-taking functions, but these
machines also allowed them to customize page views and to share
searchable notes. (And, of course, students could multi-task and
listen to music, e-mail, and be a part of their social network while on their own computer.)
Technical
issues, while a focus of this article, once resolved behind the scenes
and before the experiment began, were negligible. The researchers
reported that:
- “The delivery of eTextbooks to students via their notebook computers was a simple and very efficient process
- Students were able to complete the downloading of eTextbooks with little assistance from university support staff
- Several publishers were able to provide enhanced eTextbooks with quizzes and shared notes
- The need for standardized reading features appeared useful as some students used multiple eTextbooks
- Some eTextbook features, if used in the classroom, need additional Wi-Fi connectivity”
In summary, based on their experience after one year, students at Northwest Missouri State University found ways to use, and maybe embrace, most eBooks, but eBook Readers still had a way to go.
Another challenge for publishers and manufacturers should come in the form of the minimum expectations
by the Public School System, for eBooks and eBook Readers in terms of
Social Justice. Several expectations must be met. First and foremost
is that all
eBooks must meet the different needs of students with learning
challenges. Thus, an eBook or eBook Reader, without meeting the Text
to Speech: TTS needs of students facing learning challenges should not
be considered. Other tools supporting learning adaptations for
students facing visual challenges—such as changeable text size, font,
colour/shading (for colour blindness)—must also be built in at a
fundamental level, for a product or device to be considered. With 50
million users, the system has the purchasing muscle to identify and set
minimal standards and the system should not forget their
responsibilities for meeting these student needs in a rush to new
technologies. A second minimal expectation must deal with the
intra-system transferability of materials. At present,
some computer software is only usable within one school in a district.
That must not be allowed to continue with eBooks and their readers,
which should be seen as always being open to meet the intra school
needs within a purchasing district.
eBooks
are here to stay. We should expect that, as they learn from their
experiences, publishers will quickly move their materials from the one-dimensional approach that mirrors traditional print books to more sophisticated and multi-dimensional resources. eBook Readers, provided they pass the Goldilocks test and provide for individualization, are likely to become more commonly used. Teacher-librarians
have some time to begin to grapple with the issues associated with
these technologies. However, in these tough economic times, where
governments are looking to save money, and where media reports of the
impact of eBooks may add pressure on authorities to act, Teacher-librarians
need to begin to sort out their answers to the challenging questions
around planning, resource management, hardware/software problems, and
ethics. Two strong themes running through all of our responses will
be: Do I know enough? and where will the money come from?
Additional Readings and Links
Allen, Nicole. “Course Correction: How Digital Textbooks Are Off Track, and How to Set Them Straight.” PDF download from: Make Textbooks Affordable.org. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
Haywood, Keene. “Ready of Not, here come the e-textbooks.” New Media Consortium. Posted August 10, 2009. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
Kenney, Brian. “As Goes California: A Flawed Initiative Could Become a Fabulous Opportunity”. School Library Journal v. n. 9, September, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
Levin , Tamar. “In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History.” The New York Times August 8, 2009. Retrieved September 1st, 2009.
Paul, Ryan. “Study: DRM a major barrier to e-textbook adoption.” Ars Technica. Posted August 28, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
Rickman, Jon T. and Von Holzen, Roger. “E-Readers and E-Textbooks: Current Reality and Future Possibilities”. Webinar via Educause. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
Seidel, Kim. “Online Textbooks Deliver Timely, Real-World Content.” Educause Review v. 44 n. 1, January/February 2009. Retrieved September 2st, 2009.
Stewart, Robert. “Some Thoughts on Free Textbooks.” Educause Review v. 44 n. 1, January/February 2009. Retrieved September 5st, 2009.
Young, Jeffrey R. “Six Lessons One Campus Learned from E-Textbooks.” Chronicle of Higher Education. Posted June 11, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
e-Textbooks: Feasible or Futile at aceonlineschools.com. January 23, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
Flatworld knowledge Home Page (free eTextbooks) Retrieved September 7, 2009.
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00154JDAI
Plastic Logic: http://www.plasticlogic.com
Sony eBook Reader: http://www.sonystyle.ca
[1] For a comparison of eBook formats check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_formats or http://www.ebookmall.com/choose-format/
[2] See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Format_war for more information on a century and more of format wars.
[3] Some
libraries are able to recover some textbook costs by carefully managing
the sale of either surplus or ‘no longer in use’ textbooks. While the
sums are seldom large, they can help to cover some costs such as
rebinds.
[4] Taylor’s
“Principles of Economics: Global Financial Crisis Edition”
(978-1439078204) lists for $207.95 on Amazon.com vs. $103.00 for the
180 day subscription at CourseSmart.
[5] For more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebook_readers
