7 Reasons Why Universities Should Make Textbooks Available on eBook Readers

There are numerous Universities and Libraries now researching how to revolutionize the way people read and study. The eBook Reader, an electronic device that can easily be carried with an individual like a traditional book, is an integral part of this cutting-edge technology. The Reader is typically smaller than a basic book and reads any documents that you might normally read from a computer. The eReader can hold multiple documents and therefore would totally eliminate the need for students to carry around multiple textbooks at one time.

In addition, students are often working with a number of electronic documents for research projects and this would eliminate the need to access a computer to review the documents. Handouts, term papers, forms, spreadsheets, and a number of other documents are often carried around from place to place by the student. Almost all of the weight of the textbooks could be lightened and almost virtually eliminated by the eReader. They typical machine weighs about 10 ounces - less than one college textbook.

Asked for his views on eBooks in education, Keir Graff, Senior Editor of Booklist Online responded "How long do you have? Personally, I think they make great sense for school and for reference." (Direct Contact PR)

Listed below are 7 reasons why the Universities should consider converting textbooks to eBook Readers:

Elimination of Certain Health Problems
Back problems are becoming more and more prevalent in young adults and many people in the medical profession are attributing this to book bags. Years of carrying heavy books on one's back can certainly take its toll - even on the younger, more healthy individual. This could be virtually eliminated with a Reader. Any one who has carried a heavy load for hours at a time can certainly empathize with the desire to lighten one's load.

Ease of Use
Many people jump to an area of interest in a textbook or a specific assigned chapter. This is not an uncommon practice and is something that would not be prohibited when using a Reader. Current Readers in the marketplace provide great simplicity when searching for a specific topic or scanning for a topic of interest.

Read To Me Feature
Many of the newest machines have a read-to-me feature which offers many advantages to the student of today. If the student is traveling to and from class or simply cooking dinner or doing activity that permits listening, the specific document, lesson, or information could be read aloud to them which would allow for multi-tasking and more production. When traveling long distances in a car, this benefit could be even more effectively utilized.

Great Storage Space
Many of the most popular Readers provide storage space to accommodate around 1500 books. This would allow the student to have textbooks, term papers, research documents, and even novels for pleasure reading all in one simple location. According to the article "An Introduction to Popular E-book Readers", with the ability to keep battery power for thousands of page turns or several hours, these e-book readers can be regarded as portable libraries (Digital Book Readers).

Sense of Familiarity
Although some baby boomers seem to want to touch and feel the real book, the generation of today, is far more familiar with holding an electronic device in their hand. Thus, the eBook Reader would not only be comfortable but familiar to the college student today.

Create Space in the Dorm Room or Small Apartment
Any student who is trying to figure out how to create more living space in a dormitory or small apartment would certainly appreciate the benefits of a Reader. No longer would students sharing an area have to find a place to locate all those textbooks, papers, and documents when space is already at a premium.

Cost
By producing eBooks, the university could reduce their overall cost. Ebooks would not wear out like textbooks, nor would the university have to be concerned about books being sold back or leased books returned. This cost savings could be passed down to the student.

Although there are still a few issues to be worked out with having eBook Readers for college students, the pros probably by far outweigh the cons. One issue that is being considered is how one might be able to simulate highlighting or writing in certain areas of the eBook. Many users would find that appealing since it is a study technique that has been utilized for many generations.

Another issue is of copyright and lending from university libraries. The Harold B. Lee Library, the main campus library of Brigham Young University, has acquired Amazon Kindles as a pilot for lending to students. One of the problems is that Amazon states that it is not permitted to lend them, and although Amazon reps have verbally given the nod, this was not put in writing.

According to John Biggs, Technology Writer for The New York Times, "Books are the future. The Kindle and devices like it will replace printed text in the next 30 years."

Only time will tell whether John is right, and whether or not the universities are willing to totally implement cutting edge technology such as the eBook Reader. Their terms of use could be key in their decision. One thing is for sure, however: the changes it would provide for the students are immense and vast, and certainly worth consideration.

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