Android FAQ Sheet

Can I use OverDrive?
Yes! There is an OverDrive app for the Android operating system.

Do I need a separate computer to use OverDrive?
No. You will only need to install the OverDrive app. In most cases you will not need to install Adobe Digital Editions (it's already installed), but you will still need to enter an Adobe ID and register the device.

How many books will it hold?
Most Android tablets have a slot for an SD or microSD card, so the number of books it can hold will vary considerably, depending on how much built-in memory is available for user content, and how much memory is on the SD card. For example, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is 453KB in the EPUB format, so an Android tablet could hold about 2,207 copies of The Help in 1GB of memory.

How long does the battery last?
Most Android tablets will run for several hours on a single charge, in constant use, depending on what features are in use. Turning off the WiFi and setting the display timeout to one minute instead of one hour will conserve the charge, for example.

Can I read the screen in sunlight?
The LED backlit display gives an effect that is more like a computer monitor than a page in a book, and can be hard to read in strong daylight. However, there are anti-glare screen protectors that can be purchased separately, and the brightness of the display itself can be adjusted from within the reader applications. The background can be changed from white to a pale sepia.

Screen resolution?
Varies. The 10" Acer Iconia A500 pictured here has a screen resolution of 1280x800 pixels.

Size? Weight?
Varies. Right now there are two screen sizes that predominate: 7” and 10”, as measured diagonally. The weight varies as well, but the 10” Android tablets are about as heavy as the iPad (1.3 lbs), and most are heavier.

How large / how many sizes can I make the words display?
There is a choice of seven (7) font sizes in the OverDrive app, as well as font styles and color and brightness settings.

How do you turn the page?
Touch or swipe the screen from right to left to turn to the next page, or from left to right to go to the previous page.

Does it remember my place?
Yes, when you reopen a book you were reading, it opens at the last page you were reading. You can also set bookmarks and go to the beginning of any chapter.

How much does it cost?
Varies. A new 7” tablet from a lesser known brand can be bought for as little as $150, but won’t have access to the full range of Android applications (apps) and won’t have the latest version of the Android operating system. A new 10” tablet such as the Motorola XOOM, WiFi-only, starts at $499, but has the latest Android o/s release, uses the full range of Android features, and is upgradable to the next Android release. The 10" Acer Iconia, pictured here, currently sells for $399 with 16GB of permanent storage and the Android 3.0 o/s.

Do I have to subscribe to a service?
Your choice. The WiFi model works with any wireless network. The WiFi+3G model works with both wireless and with the 3G cellphone network, but you’ll need a contract with a cellphone carrier.

Are the batteries self-replaceable or does it need to be sent in when they die?
The batteries are generally not user-replaceable. If the batteries stop holding a charge, you’ll have to get a factory replacement or discard it and purchase a new tablet.

Can I use it with multiple formats?
Yes. You name it, the Android tablet probably supports it: TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG.

Can it connect to the Internet?
Yes, the Android o/s includes a browser, and there are other browsers available for download.

Can I use it to watch video?
Yes. You can watch YouTube and, depending on the Android version and the manufacturer, you can watch Netflix and Amazon streaming video.

What else does it do?
Almost anything a general purpose notebook computer can do: email, text messaging, web browsing, display maps. If the tablet hardware supports it, and if you subscribe to a 3G service, it can also serve as a GPS. There are apps for the Nook, Sony Reader, and the Kindle, so you can purchase e-books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Sony’s ebookstore. You can also purchase e-books from a number of other sites like Fictionwise.com. There is an Audible app, to purchase and listen to e-books from Audible.com. You can also borrow and play audiobooks from OverDrive. There are apps to read and create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that are compatible with Microsoft Office Suite. Articles from our EBSCO subscription databases can be read, whether they are in PDF or HTML format. Some tablets have a true multi-touch screen and the web browser display can be zoomed in and out easily by “pinching” the display with two fingers.

Conclusion?
Excellent general purpose computer, in addition to offering a good reading experience.

If you're looking for a general purpose computer, as opposed to a single-purpose e-reader, the choice really comes down to the iPad or an Android tablet. If you've always been a Mac fan, you'll buy an iPad. If you like the iPad but don't want to spend that much, or if you'd like to have the capability to view Flash video, you'll buy an Android tablet.

Where can I get more information?
http://www.tigerdirect.com/
http://www.buy.com/
http://www.newegg.com/
http://www.bestbuy.com/
and
manufacturers’ websites: Motorola, Samsung, Acer, Asus, etc.

Nook Color FAQ Sheet

Can I use OverDrive?
Yes!

Do I need a separate computer to use OverDrive?
Books in the “Always Available” collection can be downloaded directly to the Nook Color. Other EPUB books require a separate computer running the OverDrive Media Console program and Adobe Digital Editions. Books are downloaded to the computer and then transferred to the Nook Color. A separate computer is also needed to delete expired books from the Nook Color.

How many books will it hold?
The Nook Color comes with 8GB of memory (expandable to up to 32GB with a microSD™ memory card). Approximately 5GB are available to store content, of which up to 4GB may be reserved for content purchased from the Barnes & Noble NOOK Store, which leaves 1GB free for your own content. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is 453KB in the EPUB format, so the Nook Color could hold about 2,207 copies of The Help in that 1GB if you only borrowed them from OverDrive. If you purchased a copy from Barnes & Noble, it could hold about  4 times that many copies.

How long does the battery last?
Read for up to 8 hours without recharging with wireless off.

Can I read the screen in sunlight?
The LED backlit display gives an effect that is more like a computer monitor than a page in a book, and can be hard to read in strong daylight. However, there are anti-glare screen protectors that can be purchased separately, and the brightness of the display itself can be adjusted from within the reader application. The background can be changed from white to a pale sepia.

Screen resolution?
1024 x 600 at 169 pixels per inch (PPI)

Size? Weight?
Height: 8.1 inches, Width: 5.0 inches, Depth: 0.48 inches; 15.8 ounces

How large / how many sizes can I make the words display?
There are 6 text sizes, with selectable font styles, background colors, line and margin spacing.

How do you turn the page?
Touch or swipe the screen from right to left to turn to the next page, or from left to right to go to the previous page.

Does it remember my place?
Yes, when you reopen a book you were reading, it opens at the last page you were reading. You can also set bookmarks and go to the beginning of any chapter.

How much does it cost?
The Nook Color with WiFi currently lists for $249.

Do I have to subscribe to a service?
No. The Nook Color comes with built-in WiFi. There is no 3G option.

Are the batteries self-replaceable or does it need to be sent in when they die?
The batteries are not self-replaceable. The Nook Color must be returned to the factory for a battery replacement.

Can I use it with multiple formats?
The Nook Color supports these formats for eBooks, graphics, audio, and other file types, transferred from your computer using the USB cable, or from a microSD card, or downloaded from the Web: EPUB (including Non- or Adobe DRM); PDF; Other documents: XLS, DOC, PPT, PPS, TXT, DOCM, XLSM, PPTM, PPSX, PPSM, DOCX, XLX, PPTX; Graphics: JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP; Audio: MP3, MP4, AAC; Video: MP4, Adobe® Flash®; Not Supported: LIT, AMZ (Amazon), LRZ/LRX (Sony). The Color Nook works with our subscription EBSCO database, which includes many popular full-text magazine titles in PDF and HTML format.

Can it connect to the Internet?
Yes, there is a web browser built-in. Books can be purchased from Barnes & Noble and downloaded immediately anywhere there is a WiFi signal.

Can I use it to watch video?
You can play videos at YouTube. Amazon streaming video also works, but it’s not really full screen.

What else does it do?
Pre-loaded apps include Email, Pandora® Internet radio, Chess, Crossword, Sudoku, Media Gallery, and NOOK Friends™. You can loan purchased books to your friends who have a Nook Color. The Nook Color will store and display your photos, music, and videos in the supported formats, either downloaded from the Web or transferred via USB cable. Because of the large format and the screen resolution, the Nook Color works comfortably with many websites without having to resort to a special mobile app. It has a true multi-touch screen and the web browser display can be zoomed in and out easily by “pinching” the display with two fingers, but I found the response to be sluggish at times. It’s better than typing on a 12-key phone keypad, but I wouldn’t want to use the on-screen keyboard for typing anything lengthy. More games can be purchased online from the Nook store.

Conclusion
A good value as an eReader, with many of the additional features that you’d expect from a WiFi-enabled device. In a completely informal, not anywhere near random survey I conducted at a techie workshop I went to in March, the predominant large format device was the iPad, followed closely by the Nook Color.

Sony eReader FAQ Sheet

Can I use OverDrive?
Yes!

Do I need a separate computer to use OverDrive?
Yes, a PC or a Mac with the Sony Reader software, OverDrive, and Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) installed is required for most Sony Readers. Books are transferred from your computer to the Reader using Adobe Digital Editions, and a copy also stays on your computer. The Daily Edition has built-in WiFi and 3G capablility and can download books directly from the Sony store and from other online vendors.

Where else can I get books besides OverDrive and the Sony store?
Any vendor that sells ebooks in the EPUB and PDF formats.

How many books will it hold?
The Reader Touch Edition and the Reader Daily Edition can be expanded up to 32GB, with an SD card, so the number of books it can hold will vary. For example, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is 453KB in the EPUB format, so the Sony Reader could hold about 2,207 copies of The Help in 1GB of memory. The Reader Pocket Edition has 2GB of onboard memory (not all of which is available for user content) and is not expandable; it holds approximately 1,200 books.

How long does the battery last?
Up to 14 days on the two models without WiFi; from 11 days to 22 days on the model with WiFi.

Can I read the screen in sunlight?
Yes, the Sony Readers uses the E Ink® Pearl technology.

Screen resolution?
Not stated, but is probably the same as other 6” E-Ink screens such as the Kindle: 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi (pixels per inch)

Size? Weight?
Three models: measured diagonally, the screens are 5”, 6”, and 7”; they weigh from 5.47 to 9.6 ounces.

How large / how many sizes can I make the words display?
There is a choice of seven (7) font sizes in the OverDrive app, as well as font styles and color and brightness settings.

How do you turn the page?
Touch Edition: touch or swipe the screen from right to left to turn to the next page, or from left to right to go to the previous page. Pocket Edition and Daily Edition (and older models): buttons on the front of the reader.

Does it remember my place?
Yes, when you reopen a book you were reading, it opens at the last page you were reading. You can also set bookmarks and go to the beginning of any chapter.

How much does it cost?
The Reader Pocket Edition is currently selling for $179 at the Sony website. Also at the Sony website, a refurbished Daily Edition sells for $239, and a refurbished Pocket Edition for $153. The Reader Touch is out of stock on the Sony site, but can be found at other online retailers, both new and refurbished, for between $199 and $300. Older editions of the Sony in the PRS-500 series can be found online both new and used.

Do I have to subscribe to a service?
No. The Daily Edition is both WiFi and 3G-capable, and the 3G access is free.

Are the batteries self-replaceable or does it need to be sent in when they die?
The batteries are not user-replaceable. If the batteries stop holding a charge, you’ll have to get a factory replacement.

Can I use it with multiple formats?
Yes. The Sony readers support two important standards for e-books: Adobe® PDF, and EPUB. They also support Microsoft® Word and other text file formats, as well as ACS4 for audiobooks.

Can it connect to the Internet?
Daily Edition connects to the Internet to get the latest edition of newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals you may subscribe to.

Can I use it to watch video?
No.

What else does it do?
Bookmark + Highlight; Freehand notes with stylus; Intelligent zoom; Periodical navigation options; 10 translation dictionaries

Conclusion?
The Reader Pocket Edition is a good dedicated reader for the passionate reader, constant traveler, or daily commuter. The small controls, and the need for a separate computer, may be issues for some people.

Where can I get more information?
http://ebookstore.sony.com/reader/

Comparison Chart:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentDisplayView?cmsId=reader_kindle_comparison

iPad FAQ Sheet

Can I use OverDrive?
Yes!

Do I need a separate computer to use OverDrive?
No, with the OverDrive application for the iPad, you can select, checkout, download, read, and return books directly on the iPad.

How many books will it hold?
The iPad is available with 16GB, 32 GB, or 64GB of memory. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is 453KB in the EPUB format, so a 16GB iPad could hold about 35,320 copies of The Help. Of course, not all 16GB is available for storing books; the operating system occupies some of that memory.

How long does the battery last?
* Built-in 25-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
* Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
* Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

Can I read the screen in sunlight?
The LED backlit display gives an effect that is more like a computer monitor than a page in a book, and can be hard to read in strong daylight. However, there are anti-glare screen protectors that can be purchased separately, and the brightness of the display itself can be adjusted from within the reader applications. The background can be changed from white to a pale sepia.

Screen resolution?
1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)

Size? Weight?
Height, 9.50 inches (241.2 mm); Width, 7.31 inches (185.7 mm); Depth: 0.34 inch (8.8 mm); about 1.33 pounds (601 g)

How large / how many sizes can I make the words display?
The font size is adjustable from within the OverDrive reader app in nine (9) steps, from 64 lines per page (very small) to 23 lines per page (very large) in portrait mode. The font size, as well as the font face, can be similarly adjusted from within the other reading apps.

How do you turn the page?
Touch or swipe the screen from right to left to turn to the next page, or from left to right to go to the previous page.

Does it remember my place?
Yes, when you reopen a book you were reading, it opens at the last page you were reading. You can also set bookmarks and go to the beginning of any chapter.

How much does it cost?
A new iPad 2 starts at $499 for the WiFi-only model with 16GB of storage, and runs all the way up to $829 for WiFi + 3G with 64GB of storage. My Library bought a refurbished iPad 1 with 16GB and WiFi for $349.

Do I have to subscribe to a service?
The WiFi model works with any wireless network. The WiFi+3G model works with both wireless and with the 3G cellphone network. The 3G service can be turned on and off as needed in a pay-as-you-go system; no contract commitment is required.

Are the batteries self-replaceable or does it need to be sent in when they die?
The batteries are not replaceable. When the battery is no longer holding a charge, you can send your iPad to Apple and receive a replacement iPad for a $99 service fee. (Free, if it’s a new iPad still in the warranty period.)

Can I use it with multiple formats?
Yes. In addition to the OverDrive app for borrowing books, there is a Kobo app, a Barnes & Noble Nook app, all of which offer books in the EPUB format. There is an Amazon Kindle app, supporting Amazon’s proprietary amz format. There is also Apple’s own iBooks app, which lets you purchase and read books from the iBookstore. There are apps to read and create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that are compatible with Microsoft Office Suite. Articles from our EBSCO subscription databases can be read, whether they are in PDF or HTML format.

Can it connect to the Internet?
Yes. With a web browser (Safari is already installed) you can visit any website. The only limitation is that the iPad does not support Adobe Flash, so a few sites will not display properly.

Can I use it to watch video?
You can play videos at YouTube. You can watch streaming video from Netflix using the Netflix app for iPad, but you can’t watch streaming video from Amazon.

What else does it do?
The iPad can send and receive email, surf the Web, store your photos, music, and videos, keep your calendar and your notes, and display maps. The iPad with WiFi+3G gives you real-time navigation instructions using GPS. Because of the large format and the screen resolution, the iPad works comfortably with most websites without having to resort to a special mobile app. It has a true multi-touch screen and the web browser display can be zoomed in and out easily by “pinching” the display with two fingers.

Conclusion?
Excellent general purpose computer, in addition to offering a great reading experience. I would recommend the iPad to anyone who wants basic functions such as access to email, the Web, photos, music, e-books, shopping online, etc., but who has never used a traditional computer with a keyboard and mouse. It's also a fine device for experienced computer users who travel or frequently attend offsite meetings and conferences.

Where can I get more information?
http://www.apple.com/ipad/

UPDATE: For the best searching and browsing experience in OverDrive, you'll want to use the iPad's web browser to select and check out your e-book, and then sign into your OverDrive account from the iPad to download the books to your iPad. Or you can select a book to borrow using a more traditional desktop or laptop computer. The app isn't quite there yet, and won't, for example, let you specify "show me all ePUBs that are available to borrow right now," like the OverDrive website will. Soon, though!

Kindle FAQ Sheet

Can I use OverDrive?
Not yet, but stay tuned for news later this year. Amazon and Overdrive have announced that they will have an agreement that will serve Kindle users.

Do I need a separate computer to use OverDrive?
We don’t know yet, but since the Kindle is WiFi-enabled, I think it will probably be able to access Overdrive without using a separate computer.

How many books will it hold?
With 4GB of internal storage (approximately 3GB available for user content), the newest Kindle holds up to 3,500 books.

How long does the battery last?
A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. If you read for one hour a day, you will get battery life of up to one month. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 3 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store, web browsing, and downloading content. Fully charges in approximately 4.5 hours via the included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.

Can I read the screen in sunlight?
Yes. The Kindle’s E -nk Pearl screen reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other electronic displays.

Screen resolution?
600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi (pixels per inch), 16-level gray scale

Size? Weight?
Two sizes: 7.5" x 4.8" x 0.335", 6” display (measured diagonally), 8.5 ounces; and the Kindle DX, 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.38”, 9.7” display, 18.9 ounces.

How large / how many sizes can I make the words display?
There are eight (8) adjustable font sizes and three (3) choices of fonts.

How do you turn the page?
There are buttons on each side of the Kindle for moving to the next page and the previous page, so it’s easy to turn the page no matter which hand you are holding it with.

Does it remember my place?
Yes, when you reopen a book you were reading, it opens at the last page you were reading. You can also set bookmarks and go to the beginning of any chapter.

How much does it cost?
Four models range from $114 (6”, WiFi, new) to $379 (9.7”, WiFi + 3G, new).

Do I have to subscribe to a service?
No. The WiFi model works with any wireless network. The WiFi+3G model works with both wireless and with the 3G cellphone network. The Kindle’s 3G connectivity is paid for by Amazon. There are no additional fees charged to the Kindle user.

Are the batteries self-replaceable or does it need to be sent in when they die?
The batteries are not replaceable. When the battery is no longer holding a charge, you will have to send your Kindle back to Amazon for service. The replacement is covered by the one-year warranty. A two-year warranty is available at extra cost.

Can I use it with multiple formats?
Yes. Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.

Can it connect to the Internet?
Yes, it uses a browser based on WebKit, but it is still considered experimental.

Can I use it to watch video?
No.

What else does it do?
It can read some books and periodicals to you using text-to-speech. Some books can be loaned for 14 days to a friend with another Kindle. The first chapters of most Kindle books can be read for free. Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are available to read on Kindle, including titles such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice, and Treasure Island. Built-in dictionary. Built-in access to Wikipedia. Highlight and annotate your books. Search function. Full QWERTY keyboard. Manually rotate screen between portrait and landscape orientation. In addition to getting books from Amazon, the Kindle can also receive digital magazine and newspaper subscriptions.

Conclusion?
The small controls still make the Kindle difficult to use for persons with vision impairments, and while the font can be controlled for the books themselves, the displays for the table of contents, the Amazon store, and other screens cannot be changed. But once the book has been opened and the font size and style selected, all the user has to do is turn the pages and turn the Kindle off when they’re done. (Or let it go into sleep mode.) The E-Ink technology is much easier on the eyes for extended reading than an LCD display. The Read-to-Me feature is a big plus for books and also for periodicals. Overall, the Kindle is an excellent choice for a reader who travels and doesn’t want to carry a heavy pile of books, or who wants the instant delivery of the latest bestsellers, or who can’t always get the book they want in large print, or who just likes the light weight of the Kindle compared to the latest Ken Follett tome.

Where can I get more information?
http://www.amazon.com/

Barnes & Noble Nook 1st Edition FAQ Sheet

Nook 1st Edition

Can I use OverDrive?
Yes!

Do I need a separate computer to use OverDrive?
Yes. While the Nook does support Web browsing wherever there is a wireless connection available, downloading ebooks directly to the nook is not [yet] supported. E-books must first be downloaded to a computer with Overdrive Media Console and Adobe Digital Editions, then transferred to the Nook via its USB cable.

How many books will it hold?
The Nook 1st Edition comes with 2GB of memory that can store up to 1,500 books and periodicals, and is expandable up to 16GB additional memory with a microSD™ memory card. (Some of that capacity may be reserved for content purchased from the Barnes & Noble NOOK Store.) The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is 453KB in the EPUB format, so the Nook could hold at least 2,207 copies of The Help if you only borrowed them from OverDrive.

Where else besides OverDrive and Barnes & Noble can I get books?
Any online vendor that offers the EPUB, PDB, or PDF formats.

How long does the battery last?
Up to 10 days with the wireless off.

Can I read the screen in sunlight?
Yes, the reading area of the Nook 1st Edition uses glare-free E-Ink technology and reads just like paper in sunlight.

Screen resolution?
No data on the Nook website, but the screen is 6”, measured diagonally, and appears to be the same resolution as the 6” Kindle: 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi (pixels per inch)

Size? Weight?
 7.7 inches by 4.9 inches by 0.5 inches; 12.1 ounces (NOOK 3G+Wi-Fi); 11.6 ounces (NOOK Wi-Fi)

How large / how many sizes can I make the words display?
There are 6 font sizes with 3 font styles.

How do you turn the page?
Buttons on each side of the reading area are used to move back and forward a page at a time.

Does it remember my place?
Yes, when you reopen a book you were reading, it opens at the last page you were reading. You can also set bookmarks and go to the beginning of any chapter.

How much does it cost?
The Nook 1st Edition with WiFi currently lists for $119, and with WiFi + 3G (AT&T) for $169, if purchased directly from Barnes & Noble. Refurbished Nook 1st editions may be found at some online dealers.

Do I have to subscribe to a service?
No, there are no monthly fees for the 3G access.

Are the batteries self-replaceable or does it need to be sent in when they die?
The battery is self-replaceable, and a replacement battery can be purchased from a number of online vendors.

Can I use it with multiple formats?
The Nook 1st edition supports these formats for eBooks, graphics, audio, and other file types, transferred from your computer using the USB cable, or from the microSD card: EPUB (including Non or Adobe DRM); PDB; PDF; Graphics: JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP; Audio: MP3. Our EBSCO subscription database includes many popular full-text magazine titles in PDF; these files can be downloaded to your computer and transferred to the Nook 1st Edition for later reading. (Not Supported: DOC, LIT, TXT, AMZ (Amazon), LRZ/LRX (Sony))

Can it connect to the Internet?
Yes, there is a web browser built-in. Web browsing is possible, but awkward and limited because of having to switch focus from the touch screen-- which gives only a keyhole sized view of any webpage--to the E-Ink reading area and back again.

Can I use it to watch video?
No, there is no supported video format.

What else does it do?
Find a particular word or passage, add highlights and notes, look up a word in the built-in dictionary. Play music while reading. Loan purchased books to your friends who have a Nook or the Nook app. Download a free sample of any B&N e-book before buying it. Store and display your photos and play your music or audiobooks in the supported formats. It has built-in speakers, but a headset is recommended for the best sound. Use your own images as screensavers. It comes with Chess and Sodoku already installed. Airplane mode turns off the WiFi so that it can’t be accidentally re-enabled. In addition to books, you can subscribe to many newspapers and periodicals that will be delivered wirelessly as soon as a new edition is available.

Conclusion
A good value for a dedicated E-Reader (as opposed to the more general purpose computer capabilities of the Nook Color). For a patron with vision challenges, I’d recommend the Nook 1st Edition over any of the Kindles, because of the nice, bright, touch screen navigation feature that takes the place of the Kindle keyboard and its tiny buttons.

Where can I get more information?
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook1-features/379002734/

Choosing an E-Reader

Color Nook

Are you ready to take the plunge and buy an e-reader? Or maybe you have an older model and are ready to trade it in for something newer? Confused by all the choices? Me,too! That's why I wrote a short FAQ for each of the five e-readers that my library currently owns, plus one for my own general-purpose Android tablet. This is only a sample of what's available right now, and doesn't include devices like smartphones, which people presumably purchase for reasons other than just reading books.

When choosing an e-reader, you first want to think about how you want to use it. Will you be using it mostly to read the latest bestsellers? Will you be subscribing to a daily newspaper or monthly magazine? Do you want to be able to borrow ebooks from your library, or access the newspapers and magazines that are in the library's subscription databases? Do you have documents, either personal or work-related, of your own that you want to be able to read at odd moments like waiting in line at the supermarket or in the doctor's office? Do you want a device that you can also use to read your email and surf the Web, or do you want to keep those functions entirely separate?

Your next consideration should be your experience of how intuitive the device is to use, and how comfortable you think it will be to read for long periods of time. This is where the difference between e-Ink screens and backlit LED screens really matters. Are you going to want to read outdoors, or will most of your reading be indoors? Can you turn the pages with either hand, or will you get tired of holding the device the same way all the time? The only way to find out what's right for you is to try out as many e-readers as you can get your hands on. The big-box stores like Staples and Best Buy now carry a variety of e-readers that you can try, but also check with your local library, which may have one or more e-readers for you to try out or even borrow and take home.

In the next few entries, I'll post the FAQs.

Bridging the divide

Jessamyn C. West has written a wonderful book titled Without a Net: Librarians Bridging the Digital Divide. I'm not even half way through it yet, and I've already gleaned more ideas than I can use in a year. One thing I know for sure, I'm going to have to find a way to cram more classes into the schedule than just the one per week, plus the Monday morning drop-in, that I do now. There may be only one or two people in each class--we're a small community and, in my experience with them, no one person has quite the same computer needs as another person. I'm also hamstrung by the lack of a real computer lab. We have laptops, but it's proven to be very difficult to keep them in a uniform state between users. I wish I could just have half a dozen laptops that were never used for anything except classes. I may have to make such an investment with my own nickel. Certainly the prices have come down to the point where an idea like that isn't totally off the wall.

In addition to all the wonderful ideas in the book, Jessamyn has even shared many of her teaching materials. I love librarians! Buy the book. You won't regret it.

Fun with photos

Do you know someone who scrapbooks? (Is that the right verb?) Would you like to distribute family photos that are a little out of the ordinary? Take a look at Picnik.

To get started, just upload a photo and start playing with it. And if you already have a Flickr account, you can pull photos right from your Flickr sets. Here's a simple collage I made with some photos from a walking tour of Boston.

And here's a fancy collage I made using a photo from a trip to Greece.

I don't know who Daniel and Sophia are, but that's a text field that you can edit, and there are lots more fancy frames for making Mother's and Father's Day cards, holiday cards, vacation postcards, etc. Print them at home on your own color printer, or send them directly from Flickr to Snapfish and have them print cards, calendars, mugs, and more.

If you don't already have a Flickr account, it's like most web-based applications--there's a free version and a premium version. Likewise for Picnik. These were made with the free version of Picnik, but with the premium version you get a lot more choices of layouts for the simple collage, and lots more frames and layout options for the fancy collages.

Have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in?

Interviewers have looked askance at me when I've given this or a similar answer to one of their technical questions. They think that technology should be much harder and more complex than this, and they probably think I'm something of a simpleton and a fake technology librarian, but the fact is that a lot of networking and other connectivity problems can be solved this way.

Case number 1: This evening we had the big kickoff for the summer reading program. The entertainer we had booked had brought his Macbook to be hooked up to our large screen television monitor. He's done this dozens of times at other venues without any problems. But our television didn't detect a signal from the Macbook. Yes, he had his own adapter to convert the Mac's video output to a VGA output for the television. He'd already tried System Preferences > Display > Detect Monitors. My boss the Director had already tried rebooting the Mac. Nothing worked. Then they called me.

I tried System Preferences on the Mac again. I had to. I made sure the adapter cable was snug at both ends, but I didn't unplug anything. I made sure that the television's input was set to "RGB-PC," but it still wasn't detecting a video signal. Finally I just unplugged the video adapter from the Mac and plugged it back in again. And what do you know, the television found a signal.

I can't explain why that worked. Maybe the order that things are connected matters. It shouldn't, but it frequently does--sometimes the hardware or the software at one end or the other is not yet quite ready to start, and maybe there is a window of opportunity outside of which the other device won't be detected. But the Director had already rebooted the Mac, and that hadn't made any difference.

Maybe it was just a bad connection that appeared to be okay but wasn't. If that hadn't worked, I would have gone for the can of spray cleaner and cleaned all the connectors. You can buy this at any Radio Shack--just ask for electrical contact cleaner. It comes in a spray can like WD40, with the same little red straw to direct the cleaning fluid onto the contacts. Don't squirt it into the TV or the computer. Just clean off the connectors at the ends of the cables.

Case number 2: I used to work in a library where at least once a month I would get called to fix a computer that didn't have network connectivity. It was always the same person and the same computer. In the manner of most librarians I know, this person always had several tote bags in tow. You know how it goes. You've got your lunch, and, depending what shift you're working, your dinner, too. You've got your book bag. You've got a change of shoes so that you aren't wearing your good shoes in the car or the bus or walking. Then there are all the miscellaneous things you have to have with you--in my case a netbook--and finally you have a pocketbook. This librarian was in the habit of tossing all of that under her desk when she first arrived. Well, guess where the network drop for her computer was? Yep. It "looked" like it was plugged in, but not all eight wires were making contact. All I ever had to do was unplug the connector from the wall and plug it back in. I tried to explain to her what was happening, but it always happened again.

So, the moral of the story is, it's not always that complicated. Most of the time, it's something simple. So why do we get paid the big bucks (that's a joke, by the way) if it's as simple as unplugging it and plugging it back in? Ah, but it's knowing when, and which one.

And that reminds me of an old engineering story...


There was an engineer who had an exceptional gift for fixing all things mechanical. After serving his company loyally for over 30 years, he happily retired. Several years later the company contacted him regarding a seemingly impossible problem they were having with one of their multi-million dollar machines. They had tried everything and everyone else to get the machine to work but to no avail.

In desperation, they called on the retired engineer who had solved so many of their problems in the past. The engineer reluctantly took the challenge. He spent a day studying the huge machine. Finally, at the end of the day, he marked a small "x" in chalk on a particular component of the machine and said, "This is where your problem is." The part was replaced and the machine worked perfectly again. The company received a bill for $50,000 from the engineer for his service. They demanded an itemized accounting of his charges.

The engineer responded briefly: One chalk mark $1; Knowing where to put it $49,999.

It was paid in full and the engineer retired again in peace.

http://www.i18nguy.com/engineers.html

Mobile website

Rye Public Library now has a basic mobile-friendly website, thanks to Brian Herzog of Chelmsford Pubic Library (MA). He gave a presentation yesterday at NHLA's conference, and included all the code and an excellent read-me file right on his website:

http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/mobile/

I downloaded his code, customized it for RPL, omitted a few features that I didn't get to today, and modified our regular website to include a link to the mobile website. The biggest challenge was figuring out the correct parameters for doing a keyword or ISBN search in our catalog. So now, when I'm standing in the bookstore, tempted to buy yet another book, I can whip out my phone and quickly find out if RPL has it. Yeah, I could do that from the regular catalog website, too, but this is way cooler, and saves me the extra step of enlarging the view to the point where I can type in the search box. ;-)

Check it out!

http://ryepubliclibrary.org/mobile/

Cloud Computing in Libraries

Here are some of the references I used for my talk at the New Hampshire Library Association conference yesterday. A slideshow and a written edition of my talk will follow soon.

Moving from Ownership to Access

http://lisnews.org/quotownershipquot_quotaccessquot_culture
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/the-end-of-ownership-culture/
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/01/better_than_own.php
http://thenextweb.com/industry/2011/04/20/your-media-forecast-cloudy-with-a-chance-of-streaming/
http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/the-access-ownership-line/

Examples of Hosted ILS Solutions

Biblionix - http://www.biblionix.com/faqs/
LibraryWorld - http://www.libraryworld.com/cgi-bin/lw2.pl?command=show_page&pagename=home_tos.html

Examples of Office Suites

Wiki - http://pbworks.com/
Blog - http://www.blogger.com/
Google Docs - http://docs.google.com
Zoho - http://www.zoho.com/
Adobe - https://acrobat.com/
Microsoft Office Live - http://www.officelive.com/en-us/

Cloud Computing

“Where is the cloud? Geography, economics, environment, and jurisdiction in cloud computing.” Paul T. Jaeger, Jimmy Lin, Justin M. Grimes, and Shannon N. Simmons. First Monday, Volume 14, Number 5 - 4 May 2009. http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2456/2171

“The Web companies use Amazon’s cloud-based service to serve their Web sites, applications and files. Amazon’s customers include start-ups like the social networking site Foursquare but also big companies like Pfizer and Nasdaq.”
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/amazon-cloud-failure-takes-down-web-sites/

Survey Summary

https://spreadsheets.google.com/gform?key=0AkxxsS3dAUwhdDMzcnRXamFUaWFZdEVOUm1KeHVtX1E&hl=en&gridId=0#chart

Trying to see through the user's eyes

A patron I've never seen before came into my office to ask me about a problem with her computer. The following recreation is heavily edited.

P: The screen is all white!
me: What kind of monitor do you have?
P: The regular kind that sits on the desk.
me: I mean, is it a flat screen, like this one?
P: No, it's big.
me: Like a television? It might be a problem with your picture tube.
P: No, no, I can see everything, but the top and bottom of the screen are gone. It's all white.
me: So you can see the desktop, and you can see your Inbox?
P: Yes! That's what I've been telling you!
[I sign into Yahoo, open my Inbox, open my Inbox, and hit F11.]
me: Does it look something like this?
P: Yes! How did you do that?
me: I hit the function key F11.
P: What does that do?
me: Just what you see here. It makes the window go full screen and the menu bars and taskbar go away. Go home and try pressing F11 and see if that brings it back.
P: If there's no F11 key, can I just type F, 1, 1?
me: No, that won't work. There is an F11 key somewhere on your keyboard. You can find it.

Then there was a whole other conversation about leaving "the system" running for four months while she was in Florida, but what she really left on was the cable modem. Not a choice I would have made, but I assured her it didn't have anything to do with her immediate problem.

Invisible Patrons

Seven people came to the Excel Basics, Part 1 class the other night. Well, five really. The other two were my groopies, who have been coming no matter what the topic is and whether they're prepared for it or not. (They're still dealing with basic Windows terminology.)

Three were people I'd never seen before. The best moment was at the end of the class when I offered the newcomers a paper copy of the schedule of Thursday night talks, and they said, "Don't need it, we'll just check the website." Coming up on two years here, and no one's ever said that to me before.

There's a whole other invisible patron population in this little town, and I wonder how well we're really serving them. We're only open two nights a week, and only until 8 PM. I remember when I was commuting by car, by the time I got back to Danbury, the last thing I felt like doing was going to the library. The folks who commute to Boston by bus or commuter train from here probably don't feel like stopping at the library when they get home. We're open for six hours on Saturdays, but there are never any programs scheduled then--it's a 3-person crew, strictly for checking physical materials in and out.

The Board of Trustees meets at 4 PM on a weekday, too early for anyone who works out of town. The Friends meet at 6 PM on a weeknight, which is better, but still kind of early. I'm sure they are well-representative of a large portion of the town, but not all of it.

I hope that the new strategic planning committee includes representatives from this invisible population.

May their memory be eternal

January 27, 2011 marks the 44th anniversary of the fire that took the lives of Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grisson, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee.

The following day, January 28th, marks the 25th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster, which took the lives of Commander Francis R. Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Judith A. Resnik, Ellison S. Onizuka, Ronald E. McNair and Payload Specialists Gregory B. Jarvis and Sharon Christa McAuliffe.

Christa McAuliffe was our first teacher astronaut, selected from more than 11,000 applicants. She was a social studies teacher at Concord High School in Concord, NH, and today The Christa McAuliffe Planetarium/McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord is named in her memory.

In their honor, here is a favorite poem of mine, and of many astronauts and pilots. It was written by John Gillespie Magee, Jr., a 19-year-old American who died while serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force, just before the United States entered WWII.

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gillespie_Magee,_Jr.

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo1info.html

http://history.nasa.gov/Biographies/challenger.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christa_McAuliffe

Image from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28634332@N05/4703771206/

In which we make house calls

This job has made me appreciate tech support people like never before. It's difficult, if not impossible, to give good phone support to people who don't have the vocabulary to describe what they are looking at on the screen. I have a "computer comfort class" for rank beginners, to start to give them mastery over some of the terminology they need in order to help themselves find their own answers on the Web, but very few people have attended it. Those who have learned how to do email by rote, and how to locate websites that they want, don't think they need to learn anything else. Until they need to learn something else. But then they don't know how to use terms like title bar, menu bar, file and folder hierarchy, navigate/browse to a folder, active window, maximize, minimize, etc.

I get a lot of these calls from our patrons. In many cases, they have a spouse or other family member who has more experience with computers but doesn't have the patience to impart that knowledge to their close family. So they call me.

One of our devoted volunteers called me last week for help with her new all-in-one printer-scanner-copier. Her tech guru had purchased and set up the printer for her, but hadn't shown her how to use the scanner function. She had over a hundred old photos that she wanted to scan and place on a CD to give to her children. She had been using it as a printer for some time, and she had tried scanning on her own, but she didn't know how to find the resulting images on her computer.

So I made a house call. Like I said, she's a devoted volunteer. It only took about half an hour, and she took notes. She called me a couple of days later, thrilled to report that she had scanned all the photos and copied them to a CD. She was going to make another one for another daughter, and one for herself for an archive. The best part? She's in her 70s. Successes like that really make my day.

Media Player Classic saves the day!

The big meeting room got double-booked today, so the Wednesday matinee had to be moved upstairs, using the older portable projector and a laptop. But we couldn't get the laptop to play the DVD. Windows Media Player would play the video, but not the audio. IntermediaDVD would not play at all, complaining that the DVD was copy-protected.

So I downloaded and installed The Combined Community Codec Pack, knowing that Media Player Classic is bundled with it. Media Player Classic played the DVD without complaints, and now I have a laptop that can play DVDs, AVI files, and several other media formats that it couldn't play before.