Archive for the ‘eBooks’ Category

Download New Book: Emergence and Innovation in Digital Learning: Foundations and Applications

Educational systems worldwide are facing an enormous shift as a result of sociocultural, political, economic, and technological changes. The technologies and practices that have developed over the last decade have been heralded as opportunities to transform both online and traditional education systems. While proponents of these new ideas often postulate that they have the potential […]

The HathiTrust Research Center: Exploring the Full-Text Frontier

Many readers of EDUCAUSE Review are familiar with the HathiTrust Digital Library (HTDL), which was featured in an E-Content column by Jeremy York and Brian E.C. Schottlaender a couple years ago.1 However, readers may not yet be aware of the research counterpart to this mass-scale digital library: the HathiTrust Research Center (HTRC).2 In this column, […]

Success Criteria for the Development and Sustainable Operation of Virtual Research Environments

In many areas of research, virtual research environments (VREs) have become an essential part of modern research processes. The providers of VREs need to respond to this growing importance with functioning and efficient processes for the development, operation and quality assurance of VREs. We have developed a life-cycle model for VREs, which focuses in particular […]

E-books: Histories, trajectories, futures

This essay traces the historical trajectory of e-books in the U.S. and imagines their possible futures. Legal, economic, and technical developments that led to contemporary e-books reveal a tension between commercial and non-commercial programming. Commercial e-book designs control end uses, reduce production and distribution costs, stimulate consumption, and monitor user behaviors; however, alternative producers and […]

Librarians, Distributors Weigh in on Macmillan Ebook Lending

Ebook distribution to libraries took another leap forward on October 17 when Baker & Taylor, OverDrive, 3M, and RBDigital (Recorded Books) told their customers that Macmillan’s entire ebook backlist, 11,000 titles from lead imprints St. Martin’s, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Henry Holt, Macmillan Children’s, and Tor, would now be available to their patrons. Library Journal Full […]

Google Begins Selling Textbooks Through Play Store

With little fanfare, Google began offering electronic textbooks for rent or purchase on its Google Play store on Friday. Included will be books from some of the largest academic-text publishers, including Pearson, Macmillan Higher Education, and Wiley, among others. Wired Campus Full Article

Google Begins Selling Textbooks Through Play Store

With little fanfare, Google began offering electronic textbooks for rent or purchase on its Google Play store on Friday. Included will be books from some of the largest academic-text publishers, including Pearson, Macmillan Higher Education, and Wiley, among others. Wired Campus Full Article

Students Prefer Print for Serious Academic Reading

E-reader use is on the rise, and the textbook market is shifting toward customizable digital products. Are students ditching print in favor of electronic alternatives for their academic reading? A forthcoming small study from the City University of New York asked that question and found that, like previous generations, at least some Millennials still prefer […]

Free Online Content Forces Publishers to Adjust

Commercial publishers are accustomed to battling with one another for control of state and local markets for textbooks and other academic materials. Now they face a more complicated task: how to cope with what’s being offered to schools for free. Education Week Full Article

Journey to textbook affordability: An investigation of students’ use of eTextbooks at multiple campuses

eTextbooks have steadily and recently more rapidly penetrated the textbook market. In order to effectively support students’ learning, it is important to comprehend students’ experiences using eTextbooks. This survey study was designed to gain an understanding of students’ experiences in using eTextbooks and variables that impact their experiences, perceptions, and attitudes towards eTextbooks. In a […]