Ebooks and Downloadable audiobooks Technologies and Trends Facts and Freebies!

Ebooks and Audiobooks Lots of Public Domain stuff! Library provides free ebooks, but not the latest releases – However, we get CDs and print books as quickly as bookstores. If you want the newest stuff in a downloadable format, you will have to subscribe.

Ebooks and Audiobooks Vendors have deals with publishers: – No vendor has every author or title This industry is changing constantly Amazon is on the move: – Abebooks – large online bookselling site – Shelfari.com – Projects ebook sales of $2.5 billion by 2012

Ebooks Ebooks Increase Access to media Users: – are not limited to a physical collection – Discover books you didn’t know existed Ebooks are often searchable: full text Ebook devices allow large number of books to be carried in a lightweight package

Digitization/Public Domain Digitization projects: Old books are being scanned into digital editions Partnerships between large companies (Google, Amazon) and numerous university libraries

Digitization/Public Domain These books, across a range of subjects are available for free (where copyright permits). Open Content Alliance (Yahoo, Archive.org) Open Content Alliance – fewest restrictions placed on digital books.

Usage Trends – Ebooks College textbooks are going digital – Downloading kiosks (now onto discs) Government produces ebooks: Ebooks are great for professions that need to carry reference books Romance Readers Lead the Way!

Google Book Search These digitized books are free, in full where copyright permits Obscure books made available – Genealogy: a family history Genealogy: a family history

Ebook providers Amazon (for its “Kindle” Reader) Ebooks.com – Supports multiple formats Ebooks.com – PDF – Mobipocket – Microsoft Reader EReader.com (free software) EReader.com Fictionwise.com – supports multiple formats Fictionwise.com

Ebook Devices Dedicated Ebook Readers – Amazon Kindle – to be the iPod for electronic books Amazon Kindle Plays audiobooks (Audible format only) Uses Cell phone network, no synching with PC Includes major national and European newspapers Some 800 blogs DOES NOT SUPPORT PDF except via translation

Ebook Devices Dedicated Ebook Readers – Kindle Continued Adjustable text size Costs $359 Can Microsoft Word documents to it Supports image formats Supports unprotected ebook formats (.prc and.mobi)

Ebook Devices Dedicated Ebook Readers – Sony Reader Sony Reader Similar display features, crisp, paper-like OPEN DEVICE -- supports ebook formats from other sites, including PDF Synchs through the PC, No blogs, newspapers Costs $299 Supports MS Word documents Adjustable text size

Ebook Devices Dedicated Ebook Readers – Ebookman– Ebookman FUB format Not paper-like display Costs about $175 Support audiobook playback (Audible format—can’t use NetLibrary)

Ebook Devices On a PDA or Palm Some PDA cellphones/SmartPhones On your PC – the new “Netbooks” – cheap, tiny PCs, offer full PC functionality. Application for iPhone

Ebook Formats Portable Document Format (.pdf) – open standard Text files (.txt) MobiPocket (.prc) eReader.com (.pdb ) Microsoft Reader (.lit) Kindle format (AZW) Ebookman (FUB)

Downloadable Audiobooks Audible.com (owned by Amazon) Audible.com – Subscription Plans Subscription Plans Netlibrary.com—free itunes store. Features audiobooks from audible.com Simplyaudiobooks.com

Audiobook Devices Devices – Mp3 players—many still designed for music, not for long-form recordings. iPods – (Audible.com, simplyaudiobooks.com) Palms/PDAs/Blackberry devices Some Cell phones: – Audiofy.com via Verizon WirelessVCAST (from Verizon) (data plan required)

Audiobook Devices What you need to know when buying an mp3 player for audiobooks: Memory—nowadays, even the smallest mp3 players will fit an audiobook, but it may not hold much else. Bookmark feature or does it play where you left off?

Audiobook Formats AAC Apple/iPod WMA Windows Media Mp3 –free sites Ogg vorbis –free sites

Digital Rights Management Flavors – Strong DRM – cannot copy even from PC to mobile – some ebook vendors – Weak DRM – allows some copying -- iTunes – No DRM – Amazon music (but not Audible)

Digital Rights Management Microsoft Reader has all three flavors: – Sealed eBooks – can’t alter content – Inscribed eBooks – Attaches the authorized owner’s name to a copy – Owner Exclusive eBooks – no copying, period. Most commercial audiobooks fall in this category Segments of text cannot be copied to clipboard (which is legal under fair use—a portion of a work can be legally copied).

Digital Rights Management …and Fair use – restricts ability to copy things you have paid for. …is a license to use content: you cannot sell it. …can leave you stranded – WalMart’s DRM serverWalMart’s DRM server – Major League Baseball Major League Baseball

Digital Rights Management More DRM-free audiobooks coming to the commercial audiobook market Libraries and library audiobook vendors are pushing for DRM-free titles

Free ebooks/audiobooks – Guilt-free shopping for today’s economy! Librivox.org – The Machine Stops Librivox.orgThe Machine Stops -- Plucker ebook software for Palm Different formats NetLibrary Archive.org ibiblio.org RSS feeds

Free ebooks/audiobooks PDF Search Engine Planetpdf.com

@WPPL: NetLibrary Demo NetLibrary / Recorded Books – Lawsuit cut off additions of titles for awhile Ebooks cannot be checked out, downloaded, can be viewed online Publicly accessible ebooks

@WPPL: NetLibrary Demo Audiobooks: – No iPods – WMA format – Choosing a device Choosing a device SmallBytes: Netlibrary tutorial Library to hold a “Download Day” in January

In Conclusion If you want the latest titles: subscribe, you will have to buy/rent them, subscribe to a provider. No one vendor will have every author: Do a little research. Decide what device makes the most sense for you Understand the DRM restrictions related to your device, and the vendor. Back up you copies (DRM permitting!) Explore!

In Conclusion And a book is technology, and it was new to people, too: – Medieval Tech Support Medieval Tech Support