eBooks

=eBooks=

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The Internet has brought about many new innovations in the digital world that have enabled individuals to access an abundant amount of information at high rates of speed and success. One of these innovations has been the development of the electronic book, or e-Book. eBooks have been around since the 1970s when Michael Hart of the University of Illinois decided to establish an online public library, or digital library, of 10,000 books (Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2006). Hart's project was seen as e-publishing, where books where published online rather than through the traditional publishing process of ink on paper. This e-publishing project was developed as an educational devise to give students access to information online. Since this project, the e-Books that can be accessed online are not only from the library's encyclopedia collection but also include fiction and non-fiction novels.

eBooks are available to anyone who has access to the Internet and is willing to take out their credit card. At the present time, any individual looking to gain access to eBooks has to pay for this resource. However, students are able to access eBooks for free through their University or College libraries by using library computers or accessing their University or College library site from home. University and College libraries also allow the general public to use their computers to access eBooks for free, however not many individuals realize that this service is offered to them for free. Furthermore the internet promotes 'backlists' which are books that are not actively promoted, but are still available for print. These books are usually published by small publishers and do not find their way into the book shelves in libraries. Since the internet gives e-publishers more exposure, many desktop-produced books are being offered through the internet. In return 10% of all new publications are using this route.

=Advantages=

There are many advantages offered by e-Books. The main advantage is that multiple users are able to access e-Books at any one time. Like the digital library, users are able to access e-Books twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. e-Books are much easier to search for than the traditional book, as you are able to locate them almost instantaneously using a search bar. Searching within an e-Book for a specific term or definition is also easier than with a traditional book, as you are able to search for any term using the find bar on a computer (Johnson 2002). As technology continues to unfold, more and more e-Books are being created than the traditional book. There are even some books that are not being published as ordinary books, but rather going straight to e-publishing where they are only available on the internet (Johnson 2002).

=Disadvantages=

Although the e-Book is a wonderful digital innovation, there are also some disadvantages to this resource. A major disadvantage of the e-Book is the fact that not all books are provided as e-Books, despite the numerous projects taking place to publish books online (Johnson 2002). Another disadvantage is the fact that e-Books have been around since the 1970s, yet this digital innovation has not fully taken off. The restrictions of the digital divide are one of the main reasons that individuals are not able to access e-Books. Some are worried that the increase of e-books will only help widen the gap of the digital divide. However, this is not the reason why e-Books have yet to develop into a popular resource. e-Books are still a relatively new technology compared to their predecessor, the book, and therefore people are unable to detach themselves from the old and accept the new. There are also other problems with the fact that individuals do not want to pay to get access to e-Books. They do not feel that they have to pay for resources that are available at their local library. Issues with copyright and lending are also preventing many resources from being published online (Johnson 2002). This technology is not available to all who have access to the internet, but are limited to people of institutions. Another disadvantage might be that people prefer reading a book in print than reading off the computer screen which might be straining to their eyes.

=See Also=


 * Digital Library
 * e-Mail
 * e-Commerce
 * e-Health
 * e-Learning

=Works Cited=

Guardian Newspapers Limited (2006). //eBook Timeline//. Online at: http://books.guardian.co.uk/ebooks/story/0,11305,627231,00.html, consulted on February 23, 2006.

Johnson, Charlotte (2002). //eBook Advantages over pBooks//. Online at: http://faculty.mckendree.edu/william_harroff/ebe/ebook_advantages_over_pbooks.htm, consulted on February 23, 2006.

Johnson, Charlotte (2002). //eBook Disadvantages Compared to pBooks//. Online at: http://faculty.mckendree.edu/william_harroff/ebe/ebook_disadvantage.htm, consulted on February 23, 2006.

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