12-13-2004, 02:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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New York Public Library Has Over 3,000 eBooks To Check Out
http://news.com.com/Libraries+check+out+e-books/2100-1025_3-5485643.html
"...3,000 titles' worth--and the library's 1.8 million cardholders can point and click through the collection at www.nypl.org, choosing from among best-sellers, nonfiction, romance novels and self-help guides. Patrons borrow them for set periods, downloading them for reading on a computer, a hand-held organizer or other device using free reader software. When they are due, the files are automatically locked out--no matter what hardware they are on--and returned to circulation, eliminating late fees."
Here is what I am glad to see - a statistic I knew was right but hadn't seen anything showing it. "At the Cleveland Public Library, Patricia Lowrey, head of technical services, thought technical manuals and business guides would be in greatest demand. "We were dead wrong on that," Lowrey said. "There are a lot of closet romance readers in cyberspace."
My current ebook is State of Fear by Michael Crichton, one of the few big names that publishes his books in ebook format. Maybe information like the above will push a few more authors into hounding their publishers to expand the audience they reach.
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12-13-2004, 02:18 PM
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12-13-2004, 03:23 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,329
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As long as they support multiple platforms I'm all good with it. But I'm noticing that a vast majority of the reader formats that libraries are choosing are MS only, at least for desktops, they don't work on Linux and they don't work on Apple. Thanks for not being bias. :?
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12-13-2004, 04:02 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,887
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jonathan1
As long as they support multiple platforms I'm all good with it. But I'm noticing that a vast majority of the reader formats that libraries are choosing are MS only, at least for desktops, they don't work on Linux and they don't work on Apple. Thanks for not being bias. :?
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If you were to check out librarian circles you'd find they are not particularly enamored with MS or Adobe, but the libraries have to use the tools that are *legally* available to them.
Well, guess what?
MS is the only OS developer actively pursuing the ebook market and they have been doing it for five-plus years now. And they have a strong relationship with Overdrive, the developer of the system most libraries use. They can offer libraries a proven turnkey system *now*. They just sign the contract and Overdrive sets them up. No fussing setting up an IT department; they just get on with *their* business: being librarians...
Given that the libraries are loaning out copyrighted works, not Gutenberg-grade commons texts, they *have* to use a system with time-based DRM or the publishers won't let them loan out anything.
MS has the tech do this legally.
LINUX doesn't.
You have a beef, take it up with Torvalds or Perens or the other IP-hostile LINUX luminaries.
This is one case where what goes around comes around.
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12-13-2004, 04:29 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 92
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cross platform support
It's probably coming. The reality at present is that it's a Windows world. It only makes sense to have your product/service reach the largest possible audience. The same priciple makes this service available in NYC and other populated areas but generates blank looks from the librarians in my little town... 
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12-13-2004, 04:51 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 779
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I just wish my local libraries would catch up with this. I saw this news somewhere last week, and looked at the New York library site. If you're lucky enough to live, work, or go to school in New York it's all free. You can also get a non-resident library card for 100.00 a year. Right now it wouldn't be worth it to me, but if they starting getting all the current mystery ebooks, I'd reconsider. I don't know how many virtual copies of books they have, so I don't know if there's a long waiting list to borrow the most popular ones. It would help if people could "return" the books as soon as they finish them. Right now that feature only works with Adobe, not the Mobipocket format.
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12-13-2004, 04:59 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 429
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What they need to do next is work on downloadable audiobooks, sort of like Audible.com. A guy I used to work with really sold me on the Audible concept, but my wife doesn't agree that I need to pay the monthly fee. Doh. That would be cool to "borrow" them on my ipaq to listen to in the car.
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12-13-2004, 05:12 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 97
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woohoo!
I really hope this takes off.. this would be awesome!
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12-13-2004, 05:29 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 24
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jonathan1
As long as they support multiple platforms I'm all good with it. But I'm noticing that a vast majority of the reader formats that libraries are choosing are MS only, at least for desktops, they don't work on Linux and they don't work on Apple. Thanks for not being bias. :?
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Fortunately, the NYPL e-book library offers the books in PDF format. That's as multi-platform as you can get with PDF readers available for Windows, Macs, Linux, several flavors of Unix and even OS/2! The mobile format is available on Mobipocket reader which is available for PocketPC/WM, Palm OS, Symbian, WM Smartphone and SE P800/900.
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12-13-2004, 06:01 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 33
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I think this is a great step in the right direction - regardless of it being MS only or not. Only when the demand for other formats increases to the point of being worth their effort will they begin to expand to those other systems. The problem I have with PDF's is that Adobe's PPC version won't let you read DRM-encrypted files...
On a side note - let me explain my current battle in the land of ebooks. I bought an MS Reader ebook on Amazon that contained maps of the area described in the book. I was suprised (and pissed) when I found out that these maps are 240x320 and therefore unreadable and useless!! You can't read any of the names of places and when you try to zoom in it just gets "blocky"...
I called up Random House and they referred me to an email address for support from ContentLinkInk.com - their ebook website. I wrote three emails to them within two weeks asking them to reissue the ebook with higher resolution maps - and got no response. I finally called Random House again and they told me they don't know how to contact those guys by phone but coincidentally less than an hour after hanging up with them I received a one-sentence reply from ContentLinkInk saying that they are researching to see if this can be done. Of course, when I reply asking how long it might take, I got no response.
So, this weekend, I went out and bought the third book in paper format. I just couldn't justify buying the ebook knowing it would have useless maps... It appears that companies are not spending much time or effort on enticing people to purchase ebooks. I do hope this can be changed...
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