Thursday, January 28, 2010

E-books in the Grossmont Library

Have you noticed the ever changing “eBook of the Month” link on the library home page? The link takes you to the Netlibrary page, http://www.netlibrary.com , which is the home page for thousands of eBooks. You can search there by title, author, keyword, publisher or available foreign languages.
If you can’t find the book you have to read for your class, or just simply curious, it is worth to check what titles Grossmont Library has access on Netlibrary. To find them, click on “type” to choose “electronic book”, on the library catalog page, under “advanced search”. http://opac.gcccd.edu/uhtbin/webcat
By filling in the keyword, title, author, or subject information, you’ll see if you can read the book immediately online.
If you are hesitant to read online or like the idea of having a physical book, I’d like to introduce a list of the most appealing advantages of eBooks:
They have:
Extra features - you can follow links for more information, search and highlight text, print out short paragraphs, etc.
They are:
Instantaneous - you are only a couple of clicks away from reading them 24/7.
Portable - if you have a laptop and internet connection, you can connect to the Grossmont library page or Netlibrary from anywhere.
Easy to use - easy to find books in catalog and easy to access them by link, no check-out required and no late fees either; text size and font size can be changed for easy reading.
It sounds like a perfect solution, isn’t it? However, as everything this has some limitations, as well.
For example, copyright issues can effect how much you can print, or you have to have an internet connection and a computer or reading device to actually read eBooks. You can’t lend your copy to your friend and if you like the smell and feel of a physical book, you won’t experience it with eBooks.
However, in this fast paced time the convenience of eBooks gives you enough reason to give them a try. Good luck and if you have any questions don’t forget to ask the librarians!