E-books popularity on the rise

E-books started when paper books were initially converted to digital format, which then is able to view on computer interface. But until now e-book has been met with fierce resistance by publishers and book lovers, (Cornwall, 2010). 

Image source: guardian.co.uk. Amazon Kindle e-reader: ‘Demand for the virtual book has gone vertical in the past year, fuelled by the recent global release of Amazon's Kindle Book and worldwide launch of the much hyped Apple iPad’,(Cornwall, 2010).

'E-books are gaining wider interest since the introduction of portable electronic reading devices and software-based readers that provide users with more realistic book reading experiences',  (Shiratuddin et al. 2003).

The enTourage eDGe e-book is displayed at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center January 7, 2010, (Source: Epoch Times, 2010).

As e-books are evolving and bringing new genres to the new media ecosystem: who are their new potential users?

According to Reuters (2010), 'The amounts of time children spend reading books for enjoyment decreases as they use cell phones and other mobile technology, but e-books might just bring them back to literature'. According to this report : '57 percent kids said they would be interested in reading an e-book'.
'E-books have potential in enhancing distance education: in particular, e-books are able to enhance the interaction between educators and students when dealing with teaching and learning materials', (Shiratuddin et all. (2003).  The students who participated in this E-book study agree that:

• The possibility of imitating actions used on printed notes, such as highlighting, bookmarking and annotating, is very useful and helpful. 
• Students could store their collections of assignments (in the e-book form) in the personalized digital library provided in the reader: thus improving the electronic authoring experience and promoting self-publishing.

Despite of all these important advantages they define there are still negative comments from users,‘Australian publisher Louise Adler says one of the biggest disappointments so far has been the very limited catalog of books on offer, most of them aimed squarely at an American audience’,(Cornwall, 2010).

(Image source: iPhoneAppleFreelancer): Reading from computer screens is tiring for the eyes and about 25 percent slower than reading from paper. The iPad measured at 6.2% lower reading speed than the printed book, whereas the Kindle measured at 10.7% slower than print, (Nielsen, 2010).

However, “Today libraries and publishers are finally coming to terms with the fact that a tipping point on e-books might be reached faster than either party ever imagined”, (Shelburne 2009, p.59). So in my opinion as the use of E-book is on the rise, it is very important for academia’s to concentrate on E-books to reap the future benefits of book handling and sharing.  “The University of Illinois Library currently provides access to approximately 292,000 e-books in a variety of subject areas from a mixture of publishers and providers, (Shelburne 2009, p. 60).

References:

• Cornwall, D 2010, ‘E-books popularity on the rise’, The 7.30 Report, viewed 3 November 2010, <http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2010/s2849989.htm>

• Nielsen, J 2010, ‘iPad and Kindle Reading Speeds’, viewed 7 November 2010, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad-kindle-reading.html>

• Reuters, 2010, ‘E-books may spur more kids to read: study’, viewed 11 November 2010,  <http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68S4CU20100930>

• Shelburne, WA 2009, ‘ E-book usage in an academic library: User attitudes and behaviors’, Library collections, acquisitions & Technical services, vol. 33, no. 2-3, pp. 59-72.

• Shiratuddin, N, Landoni, M, Gibb, F & Hassan, S 2003, ‘ E-Book Technology and Its Potential Applications in Distance Education’, Journal of Digital Information, vol.3, no.4, viewed 3 November 2010, < https://journals.tdl.org/jodi/article/viewArticle/90/89>