Beyond Method #6: eBooks and eReaders

I chose to look up Voltaire's Candide. Project Gutenberg makes finding free downloadable ebooks for the Kindle super easy: Click on a title and it gives you a list of the story in several different formats, including HTML, plain text, and whatever proprietary format that the Kindle uses. Further simplifying the task, Kindle files aren't even labeled by their format type; they're just just called "Kindle (with images)" or "Kindle (without images)." You can't get much plainer than that.

The HTML version is easy to read in that it's formatted for the web with adequate spacing between paragraphs and enlarged header/chapter titles. However, my screen resolution is 1280 x 1024 pixels, which means the text stretches across an expanse that measures nearly 11 inches. For someone used to reading book pages, 11 inches is too wide for me. In addition, the font is set at the standard 12 point Times New Roman. Given the distance between my monitor and my eyes, all these factor into making the text hard to see. At least the format is easily changed, whether by using Firefox's zooming capabilities (Ctrl +) or through my preferred method of reformatting for reading purposes, the Readability bookmarket.

Project Gutenberg was very easy to use. What an amazing project. It's easy to search and its information is organized in a logical, easy-to-understand manner. A small but growing number of our patrons have expressed interest in downloadable content and I think Project Gutenberg fits right up their alley. Our reference librarian has already created a guide to free online books that includes Project Gutenberg. While I don't have any experience helping patrons get free downloaded titles onto their eReaders, I'm pretty confident I could figure it out. I feel comfortable assisting patrons with Overdrive, our current downloadable media provider, although that task typically involves either Overdrive software or Adobe Digital Editions; the challenge with non-Overdrive titles would be adjusting to each eReader's different transfer method.

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