Week 9, Thing 22 ebooks

I have to admit, I have been reluctant to accept eBooks. I find reading on the computer is not easy on my eyes, and the thought of reading from a cell phone is just laughable to me! I can barely see what's on my cell phone as it is. However, I looked at a colleague's Kindle a few years back at the Librarian's Academy in Anchorage, and I was really impressed with how different that was from the computer screen--much better. I would like to get a kindle, but they are rather spendy, and then you have to buy the books! I tend to be an avid library user, and am perfectly happy with just print books. I think this will change eventually, and I will want to get some sort of device, but I keep waiting for more free options.

In looking at the World EBooks site, I did find some free resources, and read a vintage children's book online--but again, my eyes are very sensitive to light, and a longer book would do me in. I think that someday if I take a long trip, I would then have a good reason to go ahead and buy either a Kindle or the one a friend recommended because it is not as proprietary as the Kindle...was it the Nook or something? Anyway, someday when I'm richer have need to travel lightly without a stack of books in my bag.

I was truly impressed by the wide array of available materials online, honestly, and feel like I'm missing out by not joining the ebook bandwagon. I know our library now has audiobooks available for downloading, and I have not yet done those. I took a long trip last summer, driving down through Canada to the lower 48 with a friend, and she had books on tape we listened to, but I found they put me right to sleep! For driving, I need music. I couldn't figure out why I kept getting so tired and having to turn the wheel over to her, but I now believe it was the books on tape! I do have to say that looking at the listings in LibriVox, and finding that they are FREE! got me very excited. I could easily see listening to those while I cook dinner, or work in the garden, just not driving! I think I will promote LibriVox to my staff and parents of students, and make sure the high school librarian knows about it.

At school, I am busy helping kids make podcasts of their stories, little informational eBooks about what the first graders are learning about bears, in the form of KidPix podcasts which I then post on my website for parents, so I am involved in some small way in the production end of it all!