e-books

e-books

‘Freedom’ to Read on the Inside

‘Freedom’ to Read on the Inside

, , , , , books, Matt Dilworth
What do you do if you want a book, but can’t pay for it?  The answer is obvious – get it from the library.  But not all libraries are created equal, and some lack the resources to acquire the material their patrons need.  In particular, prison libraries are more dependent on donations of books than public or academic libraries are, which generally enjoy more public support and stable funding.  This isn’t a small problem – almost 2.3 million people in this country are in prison; and 47,000 in Indiana. However, recent technological advances have resulted in many states issuing e-readers to prisoners, similar to educational initiatives in schools.  This allows incarcerated people to maintain more of the human connection the … Continued
INSPIRE ebooks now available, plus other ebook facts!

INSPIRE ebooks now available, plus other ebook facts!

, , , Library Resources
INSPIRE is Indiana’s virtual online library offered by the Indiana State Library and accessible to all Indiana residents. It is a collection of academic databases, and also has ebooks available through one of our ebook vendors, EBSCO. You can now search IUCat for titles that are offered by INSPIRE and can access them in EBSCO ebooks. There are more than 2,500 ebooks now available in all major subject areas. If you want to view the extensive list, you can check out the titles here https://iu.box.com/s/hnmtti5nfpzfxx4m2l7fybfv1xjc8h58. While we are on the topic of ebooks, it is good to know that we have a few ebook platforms, but our two largest are Ebooks by EBSCO and Ebook Central by ProQuest. Both of … Continued
The Power of Fiction

The Power of Fiction

, Library Resources
IU is at the forefront of digitizing content, from books to music to archival material – and fiction is among that content. One prominent example is Wright American Fiction, a collection of important novels and fiction from the middle to the late 1800s, chosen from a survey conducted by librarian Lyle Wright. Seminal works of 19th century American fiction are present, from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, but there is a lot more to discover – almost 3,000 books are included. Books can be viewed as plain text, or in scanned images of the original books. Other full-text resources in a similar vein include Early American Fiction 1789 – 1850, which covers the period … Continued
Open for learning!

Open for learning!

, books, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
There are all types of databases – some for books, some for articles, some for newspapers, some for videos, and some for references. Some focus on controversies, and some specialize in a contiguous historical record. Many of these databases are expensive, costing many hundreds or thousands of dollars to license and use. That content does have a tremendous amount of value and authors need to be compensated for it. However, many authors are willing to forgo any type of compensation, because they believe everyone should have access to this type of intellectual inquiry. So, a lot of writers make their work available for free on the internet. These are generally posted with an open access license, such as Creative Commons. … Continued
Ebooks on Parade

Ebooks on Parade

, books, Matt Dilworth
Chances are, if you use ebooks for leisure reading, you use a device like a Kindle, Nook, or iPad. But up until recently, our academic ebooks have not been useable on devices like that – they’ve been more akin to what you would find on Project Gutenberg, GoogleBooks, or the Baen Free Library. Designed for a computer, and only usable on a device that was actively on the internet. But times are changing. This month, EBSCO eBooks – one of our largest ebook providers – has just rolled out a new app that will let you access and use tens of thousands of volumes on iOS devices including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch (download the app here), Android devices (download … Continued