ALA 2010: Message to Schools: Act Now on Ebooks
By Kathy Ishizuka, SLJ Jun 29, 2010The time is now to implement ebooks in school libraries. That's according to Douglas Uhlmann, a librarian at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, PA, who presented to a packed house in his June 26 session "Casting the Ebook Hook," at the American Library Association conference in Washington DC.
The rise of etextbooks and the explosion of reader devices, not to mention the phenomenon that is the iPad, have created a unique convergence and libraries need to position themselves there. While the mere mention of the Cushing Academy drew groans at his presentation, Uhlmann says the controversial move by the school to ditch its entire print collection for digital has also helped bring us to the tipping point.
"In terms of consumer awareness, the word is out there on ebooks," he says. "We need our patrons to know that libraries are part of the ebooks picture."
But it's a little more complicated than simply exploiting the current consumer mania over ereaders. For when it comes to digital content, what is your average patron envisioning? "A Kindle or an iPad, not a database resource," says Uhlmann, who serves students in grades 6-12 at William Penn, a private pre-K-12 school. Patrons may be thinking more about devices rather than content, so "we need to educate them about the many options that exist, particularly those that we are offering in our own library."
Rethink your OPAC
One tip from Uhlmann: integrate free e-resources into your OPAC. In the presentation, he demonstrated how he incorporates a Google Book copy into the record for an existing holding in his library. By linking to Google Books, students can access additional resources and further their research. If something's not available in free view, Uhlmann says he will buy a copy or borrow one, thereby leveraging Google Books for collection development and as a way to promote ILL services.
As for the digital offerings from traditional library vendors, Uhlmann himself plans to do more purchasing in the reference area. However, he would like to see metasearch capability across these products in ways that could integrate with other resources. Right now, he says, "[the research experience] is still very fragmented for our kids."
The device landscape
Oh, those devices, and there are a lot of them out there, from the Kindle and iPad to some more obscure readers--the Nokia N900 or Aluratek Libre, anyone? While pilot reader programs are being launched in schools, Uhlmann says, in sum, that he "can't push a device that's not fully compatible with what we have [databases won't work on the iPad]," and the Kindle's proving too fragile for schools.
Moreover, certain content, like large format material, including picture books, simply won't work on some current devices. And then there's the cost. Still, educators' including several in the audience, are now implementing ereaders in their schools. "But Amazon wants nothing to do with libraries," said one attendee, who tried unsuccessfully to negotiate getting multiple copies of a book on more than the allowed six Kindle devices. While Amazon and Sony are not at ALA, Barnes & Noble is, responded Uhlmann. "If they're present, they may be open to negotiating friendlier licensing for library media centers, maybe quantity purchasing, and perhaps developing [a device] that's more rugged."
Whatever you do with econtent, advises Uhlmann, promote it. Whether or not it's the device he would stock in his library, he recently brought in an iPad to demonstrate to his students. "It was like a magnet," he says. "So show them what it can do."
Visit ALA Annual Conference News for ongoing coverage of the conference by the editors of Library Journal and School Library Journal
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