January 06, 2008

Amazon Kindle - Academic Uses

Since I work in an academic library, I want to discuss how I think Amazon's Kindle has opportunities to explore in academia.

Textbooks
I get students all the time that want the opportunity to download electronic versions of their textbooks to their laptop or other device. The size and sometimes the number of textbooks in a given semester makes them practical in a dorm room, but not in the classroom. Students often already carry laptops or other materials and
do not want to lug books as well. If they could include all their text books on a Kindle for in the classroom usage or studying when away from their dorms, it can be a great market to pursue.

Textbooks in the Library
Many libraries do not buy textbooks for their collections. There is an expectation that students purchase their needed books. Textbooks become dated too quick and would gather dust on library shelves that could be used for other materials. To be fair a library would be forced to keep textbooks on reserve so they are always available for usage. Keeping hundreds of textbooks on reserve causes many space concerns. What if libraries had a few Kindles available that contain the current e-versions of the school's textbooks?

Best Sellers, Leisure Books, or Other Rarely Used Materials
Many academic libraries provided limited access to best sellers or other leisure reading materials. Students are often forced to locate the local public library or purchase online from companies like Amazon. What if libraries had Kindles available and the library staff purchased patron-requested items? Many libraries already spend money on interlibrary loan, so would this be any different?

Departmental Training Tool
Many departments circulate books or journals for their staff to read as a professional development or awareness tool. Could a Kindle serve a similar role?

Laboratory or Clinical Usage
Would researchers use a Kindle with all their reference manuals, books, and data loaded on it?

Roving Reference
We have seen many libraries that now offer "roving reference" where the librarians come to the user rather than sitting behind a desk. Would a Kindle with the standard reference books be used to support this type of service?

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Comments

Posted by Diana S. Riemenschneider, MLIS
Posted on May 12, 2008 12:08 PM

In addition to what you have listed, what has intrigued me about these type of devices is the potential they have for people who have difficulty holding a book open to the page they are reading.

Audio books or the special services some public libraries have for visually impaired readers can be extended to accomodate the readers who have nerve damage in their hands and arms (be it from repetitive stress, age, or some other trigger).

The weight is another big issue. As you mentioned, carrying several books in one device vs. the books, or paper notes, etc. for classes, research, etc. is very appealing.

Diana