You know I enjoy the ebook format. I’m really looking forward to being able to get more content in this form. I had a good chat with a friend at work about Kindles. We both (as most do) agreed that it would have been wonderful to have had one device with all our undergraduate textbooks on it. And we both are interested in what libraries might do. She reminded me that some New Jersy Libraries loan Kindles and patrons can add texts to the device. What interesting implications for collection development! Part of me immediately focuses on how that (if imagined, at full realization) might remove collection development from librarian’s domain…. and immediately I feel resistance. But then again, in a fully realized vision of what ebooks could be, a patron could have access to all texts ever, and if they want a specific one, isn’t it the one we should have? Maybe our role then is advising people as to what their options are? Interesting stuff!
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Comments 1
It would be nice if academic libraries could work with their respective campus bookstores to provide textbooks in digital formats that students could “rent” for the semester at a cost that is more reasonable than purchasing the book (which is usually relevant for one semester, anyway).
Posted 22 Jan 2009 at 4:57 pm ¶Post a Comment