Jan,
This is a big question! But I'll try to give some answers.
Q. What's the difference between a book and an e-book?
A. A book is a static, two-dimensional object. An e-book could be equally
static and two-dimensional if it is simply an electronic facsimile of the
print object (eg a PDF file), but it could also be a dynamic, multi-media,
multi-dimensional object. There are examples of e-books where the chapters
have been written collaboratively, in public, in real-time. There are
examples of e-books with dynamic charts which 'play' the numbers over time.
E-books with embedded videos. Check out The Future of the Book Institute
http://www.futureofthebook.org/ for some cutting edge and experimental
e-books.
Q. what do people do with e-books?
A. they scan them, they play with them, they interact with them. Most of all,
they print out the parts they want to read.
Q. is the use comparable?
A. according to our figures, it is clear that usage of our e-books is far,
far higher than usage of our printed books. The number of downloads is huge
compared to the number of print copies sold, and I can't believe the print
copies being bought by libraries are being used in the sort of multiples
needed to equate to online usage (if it were happening, the books would be
falling apart!). One thing we're noticing, however, is that the author's
network of contacts really appreciate having the opportunity to obtain print
copies. They prefer them to PDF (although they ideally want both). Giving
someone a print copy has a much greater impact that giving them a PDF - even
if it is nicely packaged on a USB key.
In my view, an e-book gives the author an opportunity to communicate their
ideas and findings in a better way because they are no longer constrained by
the rigidities of the printed page. They can use multi-media, they can
provide data in Excel, they can provide their background notes and papers,
they can even open up a two-way communication with their readers. Not all
authors want to do this, and in some cases, it may be overkill to throw the
entire multi-media toolkit at the reader. But the possibilities for giving
authors more flexibility and readers a richer experience are endless.
I'm sure you'll get plenty of other answers - it is a big subject!
Toby Green
Head, OECD Publishing
2 rue André Pascal
75775 Paris Cedex 16
France
Tel: +33 1 45 24 94 15
Mobile: +33 6 10 11 49 89
www.oecd.org/publishing
www.SourceOECD.org - our award-winning iLibrary
www.oecd.org/bookshop
-----Original Message-----
From: An informal open list set up by the UK Serials Group
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jan Szczepanski
Sent: 02 July, 2008 8:09 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [LIS-E-RESOURCES] What do theydo with an e-book?
Could someone explain difference between a book and an
e-book for me? What does people do with them? Do they use them
differently? Are the use comparable?
Jan
--
De åsikter som framförs här är mina personliga
och inte ett uttryck för Göteborgs universitets-
biblioteks hållning
Opinions expressed here are my own and not
that of Göteborgs universitetsbibliotek
Jan Szczepanski
Förste bibliotekarie
Goteborgs universitetsbibliotek
Box 222
SE 405 30 Goteborg, SWEDEN
Tel: +46 31 773 1164 Fax: +46 31 163797
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
lis-e-resources is the new name for lis-e-journals from the 1st July 2008
lis-e-resources is the new name for lis-e-journals from the 1st July 2008
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