• May I Introduce Myself?
• Objectives for Module 1
• Background and Benefits of E-Books at UMUC
• Focus of CTLA E-Book Workshop: Information and Library Services (ILS) E-Book Databases!
• Setting Up Your NetLibrary Account - Activity for Module 1
• Works Cited

May I Introduce Myself?

Hello, my name is Lenore England, and I am the Digital Resources Librarian in the Information and Library Services department at UMUC. Welcome to the **sixth** annual CTLA E-Book Workshop and I thank you for your interest in our e-book resources! I first gave this workshop in November 2004 and a lot of exciting changes have happened since then. My main job responsibilities are the acquisition, management, and maintenance of our digital resources, including our e-book databases. I spent the past eight years learning about e-books and have a keen interest in learning even more. I also welcome the chance to learn from you as well...as I have in past workshops!

Objectives for Module 1

1. Read the Course Announcements, if you have not already done so. The announcements contain important information about this course and the upcoming Connect sessions.
2. Introduce yourselves and discuss your experiences with e-books in the Introductions Conference.
3. Read the background and benefits of e-books section in this module.
4. Read how to set up a NetLibrary account.
5. Set up your NetLibrary account and post any comments or questions in the Activities Conference, Main Activity Topic for Module 1.

Background and Benefits of E-Books

Definition of an E-Book

What is an electronic book, or e-book?

An e-book is digital content that is primarily text, in most cases has a defined scope, and is on a network. The text in an e-book can be from a book in print that was converted into digital form or original content published only in digital form. Here are some examples.

• A text transcript of the contents of a book that is out of print and no longer subject to copyright restrictions (currently the life of the author plus 70 years). After the copyright expires, anyone can reproduce and publish the book. Freely available e-books are usually classic texts from the seventeenth to the early 20th (pre-1923) centuries.
• A digital copy of a book purchased directly from an author, publisher or e-book vendor.
• A digital copy of a book accessed through a subscription service to an electronic resources, such as UMUC's access to NetLibrary.
• A digital text that is originated by the readers, such as the e-book section of Wikipedia. In this case, the premise is that the readers will add to and build their own e-book content. Some publishers are now experimenting with the development of "wiki" books. Just announced last July 23, Google released Knol, a competitor to Wikipedia. Knol also allows people to build pages, or shared pages, of an online encyclopedia.
• A digital copy of a text that you can create in Word, with a plug-in called RMR, or Read in Microsoft Reader format (see the format and publishing sections below).
• A textbook on a handheld or mobile device, for example a smartphone, for instance, an Apple iPhone
• A networked e-book that is written, edited, published, and read online. An example of a collaborative e-book is a WEbook. One author is writing a book, The Googlization of Everything, online in a blog.
• A "bit' of a book, such as DailyLit, where you can read or publish e-books in e-installments.

For the purposes of this workshop, this definition does not include a print-on-demand (POD) e-book, an e-book on CD-ROM or DVD, or a digital audio "talking" book. What is included in this workshop? A wealth of available e-books in our library databases and on the Web! However, if you are interested in learning more about print-on-demand, here is a recent article about the Expresso Book Machine (have your coffee and read, too!). Interested in publishing e-books? Read an article about home-grown businesses; they are making a profit!

We will discuss hardware, or devices (desktops or laptops and handhelds), that you can use to read e-books in Module 4. For now, let's focus on e-book formats and software.

What are the Available E-Book Formats and Software for Reading E-Books?

What is meant by formats and software for reading e-books? E-book formats are particular ways to encode information about an e-book. Some formats are simple, for instance text, and show the e-book in a plain text only, with few features, such as bold font or color. Other formats are more elaborate and offer features such as imbedded images. Reading software for e-books can vary widely. Some readers are your Internet browsers, for instance, Internet Explorer. Other software offers features that provide the look and feel of reading a book in print, highlighting, or note taking, for instance.

The primary reason that formats and readers are important is that the emphasis on e-book packaging by publishers is to control both usage and, in most cases, the access to e-books, in order to preserve the rights of the copyright holder and prevent unauthorized copying or printing, or to use digital rights management (DRM) tools. If you are interested in a summary of the issues of e-books, DRM, and library lending, then see the paper I wrote for our library.

Here is a summary of some of the best-known e-book formats and readers. Some are proprietary, which means that certain e-books can only be read on certain devices using only one type of reader. Most readers can be used on desktops and laptops, in addition to handheld devices. Some technology experts believe that the lack of a common format and standards for reading e-books has impeded the growth of the e-book market. As a result, the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), recently announced that major software companies and device manufacturers will support new electronic book standards developed within IDPF. These standards will mean that e-books can be read by a number of readers and devices, which is a major step to make e-books more accessible.

Where Can I Get E-Books?

You can get e-books from our library databases or on the Web. In Module 2, we will focus on reading e-books in our library databases. In Modules 3 and 4, we will discuss other ways to access and read e-books on the Web and via downloads from either source.

Who Publishes E-Books?

E-books can either be published by a vendor, or by you! Examples of vendors that have titles available in the NetLibrary e-book database are Harvard Business School Press, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, or Oxford University Press. If you want to convert a Word document to an e-book, there is a free "Read in Microsoft Reader" software program that will convert your Word documents to an e-book format that can be read by Microsoft Reader. There are also other publishing programs, for instance, Adobe will convert documents or texts to PDF.

Benefits of E-Books

Reading e-books online can offer many benefits, especially for our UMUC users located at a distance.

* Some of our patrons are not located near a physical library, and accessing and reading an e-book online offers them resources that would not be available to them otherwise.
* E-books can quickly be searched and scanned for specific information.
* In the future, ILS plans to provide e-books that can be downloaded to a portable device and easily carried with patrons wherever they go. This is especially beneficial for patrons in the military.
* Overall, while reading an entire e-book may not be effective due to current display technology, for shorter periods, reading an e-books can be invaluable over a book in print.

While sales of e-books are only about 10% of the book publishing industry as a whole, sales are still increasing rapidly, and according to the International Digital Publishing Forum. There was a 140 % increase in revenue of e-books from the fourth quarter 2006 to the fourth quarter 2008 alone, and this represents sales in the United States only! At UMUC, we plan to continue to add to our e-book collections. Statistics have shown that our patrons do access the e-book titles quite often. On average, each of our e-books in NetLibrary has been accessed 18 times in the past three years.

E-Books: Where Do You Want to Go?

The trend is for e-books to build through a network, such as the Web, with links to the work and through to other related e-books and including virtual "marginalia" that can enhance the text. As you will see, e-books are meant to break beyond the bounds of the traditional codex, which was invented over 500 years ago. We will discuss this more in Module 4, but it is an important concept when learning about what e-books can do!

Let me give you a brief demonstration. Here is a Power Point presentation; the slides will automatically advance, so sit back and enjoy the show!

Focus of CTLA E-Book Workshop: Information and Library Services (ILS) E-Book Databases!

The primary focus of this workshop will be learning how to search and find e-books in our Information and Library Services databases. Right now, there are 18 databases where you can find and search for e-books. The total number of e-books in these databases:

NetLibrary is our primary e-book database. We are continuing to add to our NetLibrary collection, and in the Major Assignment, I will be asking for recommendations from each of you. In Module 3, I will discuss how we are looking at new vendors for e-books; there are now many more resources available than in the past.

What is NetLibrary?

NetLibrary is a vendor of e-books to libraries. The NetLibrary titles UMUC owns can be accessed by searching within this database. Each page from the original is reproduced digitally to include all text, figures, tables, etc. The entire book can be viewed in full text, including table of contents, index, images (if available), and appendices.

NOTES: Before you begin to use the NetLibrary database, you will need to log in. The next step is to set up your NetLibrary account.

Important! I wanted everyone to be the first to know: A great change is coming to our NetLibrary subscription in May 2009!

Beginning on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, you will no longer be required to set up a separate NetLibrary account. Once you log into NetLibrary, you will automatically have access to your Favorites, Notes, and any Checked Out Items. One important note: All of your previously saved Favorites and Notes in your current NetLibrary account will no longer be available. We suggest that you save your lists prior to the changeover. Concerning Checked Out Items after the switch, you will not be able to check in the items currently checked out. But you will still be able to view them on the desktop or anywhere where the items are downloaded, up to the 2 hour maximum limit now in place.

Setting Up Your NetLibrary Account

Why Do I Need to Set up a NetLibrary Account?

If you want to check out and download an e-book, view additional e-books that are in the publicly accessible collection, or view titles of e-books are not a part of the UMUC collection, then you need to set up a NetLibrary account.

Setting Up

Your first activity for this workshop is to create a NetLibrary account, if you have not already done so. The instructions on how to set up an account are listed below. This activity is listed as the first main topic in the Activities Conference. If you have any questions or comments once you have completed this activity, please respond in this topic area.

Before you begin to use the NetLibrary database, you will need to log in (click on the link for Search NetLibrary). Once you log in, if you have any technical questions, see the NetLibrary technical guide or contact me.

• How to set up your free NetLibrary account (these instructions are also included in our NetLibrary Guide):
  
  
  • Click on the link, Create a Free Account:
    
    
    
  • Choose your own, personal username and password. Your username does not have to be your UMUC barcode or EMPL ID. Choose a username and password that you will remember.
    
    
    
  • Create a security question and answer. Next, for your protection, enter a security question and an answer. This is needed in case you forget your password. NetLibrary will use the security to verify that you are the person with an account.
    
    
    
  • Provide account information. You will need to provide your first name, last name, and an e-mail address. Then click on the Create Account button and your account will be created!
    
    
    
• After setting up your account, please also be sure to do the following.
  This is an important step for you Major Assignment. Once you have created your NetLibrary account,
  
  1. Click on the Edit My Account link:
  
  
  2. Scroll down to the Account Preferences section, which is below the Edit My Account section. Select both "Items not available from University of Maryland University College" and "Publicly Accessible Collection (if not selected already) "; the "University of Maryland University College Collection" choice will already be selected for you (this will be important for the Major Assignment!). After this workshop, you can change your preferences to no longer view titles not owned, if you prefer. Then click on Save Changes:
  
  
  You are now ready to begin to use NetLibrary and can begin the Module 1 Activity, in the Activities Conference area.
  Note: if you want to turn your settings for owned and not owned titles off and on, see my guide.
  
  

Works Cited (Modules 1 to 3)

Bulkeley, W. M. (2006, November 16). U.K.'s Pearson tests the group dynamic for a "wiki" book. Wall Street Journal, p. B1. Retrieved July 19, 2007, from Wall Street Journal database.

Deahl, R. (2007). Wowio tests new e-book model. Publishers Weekly, 254, 7. Retrieved July 24, 2007, from ABI/Inform database.

E-book (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 28, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebook

eWord (2004). Foreword Magazine.

eWord (2005). Foreword Magazine.

eWord (2007). Foreword Magazine.

Fox, Megan (2006). Planning for a handheld mobile future. Presentation at the Computers in Libraries Conference, March 23, 2006.

Green, H. (2008, April 9).WEbook puts a crowd in the author's seat. Business Week Online, p. 2. Retrieved April 29, 2008 from Academic Search Premier database.

Hane, P.J. (2008). Come to the World eBook Fair! Retrieved July 15, 2008 from http://newsbreaks.infotoday. com/nbReader.asp?/ArticleId=49790

IDPF Newsletter. (2006, April 18). Publishers report continued increases in eBook revenue for 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2006, from http://www.idpf.org/doc_library/statistics/2005.htm

Mattison, D. (2002). Alice in e-book land: A primer for librarians. Computers in Libraries, 22, 14-21.

Mount, I. (2006, August 19). Pursuits; picks -- mobile: E-Lit; a new way to read fiction -- one text message at a time. Wall Street Journal, p. P1. Retrieved July 19, 2007, from Wall Street Journal database.

Nelson, S. (2007). Soul of a new machine. Publishers Weekly 254, 4. Retrieved July 25, 2007, from ABI/Inform database.

Reid, C. (2007). Publishers putting e-books on the iPhone. Publishers Weekly 254, 3. Retrieved July 24, 2007, from ABI/Inform database.

Rogers, M. (2006). Ebooks struggling to find a niche. Library Journal 131), 25-26. Retrieved August 2, 2006, from Academic Search Premier database.

Rupley, S. (2006). E-Books, round two. PC Magazine, 25, 19.

Sloan, P. (2007). Virtual book, real money. Business 2.0, 8, 52. Retrieved July 25, 2007, from ABI/Inform database.

Sperring, F. (2006). Digital Audio Industry Update. Panel presentation at the IDPF Conference, May 24, 2006.

Tractenberg, J. A. (2006, September 11). E-Commerce; boundless possibilities: As 'networked' books start to appear, consumers, publishers and authors get a glimpse of publishing to come. Wall Street Journal, p. R1. Retrieved July 19, 2007, from Wall Street Journal database.

Tractenberg, J. A. (2003, January 12). The plot thickens: Remember e-books? Well, the final chapter hasn't been written on them yet. Wall Street Journal, pp. R6, R7.