Ebooks and the future of libraries

I think the Pew Research Center research findings from their library ebook survey are skewed.  See the article at http://news.yahoo.com/study-released-library-e-book-borrowing-040745060--finance.html. I have ereader software on my iPod and have really gotten into checking out ebooks from my local library.  Yes, the selection could be better, but I’ve found many books I’m interested in reading available as ebooks.  My local library in Arlington, VA has done a pretty decent job publicizing their ebooks.

What people need to keep in mind with checking out ebooks is that sure a book might not be available immediately, but there is the option to put a book on hold just as though you were at your local library and the book you wanted was already checked out.  The great thing with putting an ebook on hold is that you don’t have to trek down to the library to check out the book.  You just log onto your ebook account on your ereader device and check out the book.

Ereaders many times are much smaller than physical books, which makes reading ebooks on them more convenient and more portable than reading an actual book.  Sure there are publishers out there that don’t want to make their publications available in electronic format to libraries, but I believe the tide will shift when there are a limited number of people buying their books. 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll notice that the bricks and mortar chain bookstore is a dying breed.  Where will authors go to promote their latest release?   What about new authors?  How will their books be promoted?  The local library is the answer.  Publishers will be forced by market demands to sell electronic versions of their books to libraries to avoid going out of business.

I see many people around me reading ebooks, so it’s unbelievable to me that those people make up the 12% who read ebooks, that they’re part of the 20% reading ebooks, or that they’re the 40% who are aware that their local library offers ebooks.

Sure there is the fact that libraries’ ebook selections aren’t that varied, and this will depend on the community where the library is located.  There’s also the instant gratification factor in being able to check out an ebook instantly or having to first put it on hold verses purchasing an ebook from an online company such as Amazon.com.  My feeling on instant gratification is that it’s a futile and pointless objective to strive for.

Eventually printed books will fade from existence as publishing companies go under and authors either publish their works themselves electronically or their literary agents take over the electronic publishing for their clients.

Humidity, Snakes, and Genealogy

I know I haven’t posted anything in awhile and the reason why was that I’ve been busy preparing for and taking Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Course 4: Advanced Research and Methodology course at IGHR.  This course and other genealogy classes are offered each summer at Samford University’s Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research (IGHR).  I had always been interested in taking this course even before I began working on the NGS Home Study Course.

Once I was registered for the course I began reading the first two chapters of Mills’ book Evidence Explained per her instructions.  The truth be told I was somewhat familiar with these chapters because I had referred to them when I was taking the Home Study Course.  I spent a lot of time before the course being nervous because I heard more than one person tell me how difficult the course was for them.  

It was a difficult course, but not impossible.  I believe that the Home Study Course helped me to be prepared for it.  The most difficult aspect of my sojourn at Samford was the humidity and the warnings about snakes.

I first saw a sign informing me not to prop open the doors to the dorm because snakes had been seen in the area and they could enter the building.  The signs had a ‘cute’ animated drawing of a snake.  I didn’t think too much about the possibility of seeing a snake, and was bothered more by the intense humidity.

I’ve summered many times in Knoxville, Tennessee and felt confidant in my ability to deal with any humidity that the south might throw at me—of course I was wrong.  When I arrived at Samford in the pouring rain the temperature seemed to be in the low 90’s, and yet it was so damp that I needed a jacket?!  I felt like a nut wearing a jacket in that warm weather, but other people I saw were doing the same thing. 

As the week went on the humidity stuck around longer than the rain and kept the sidewalks moist even though the sun was blazing.  Eventually, the heat prevailed over the dampness and dried nearly everything out with the exception of the students.

Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any snakes while at Samford.  I did hear an interesting story from someone while eating breakfast on the final day.  They and their dormmates had returned from eating ice cream that night and returned to find a copperhead in front of the door to their dorm.  Someone threw a brick at the snake, but it didn’t move.  They screamed and yelled at the reptile trying to get it to slither away from the door.  Nothing seemed to work, the snake seemed content to lie in front of the door.  At last, it eventually slithered away.  The interesting thing was that there weren’t any snake warning signs in their dorm.

Nearly every day of class left me feeling not only tired but also eager to seek out more sources for my genealogical research.  However, as the days passed I realized how crucial it was for me to go through the sources I had accumulated and appraise each one and evaluate the various pieces of information they contained.  Looking at each element in an objective light. 

Since my return, I’ve tried to devote a chunk of time to evaluating my sources.  I started out with the ancestors that I’m directly related to and then will branch out to look at the sources for those of collateral kinship.

Elizabeth gave the class some really great handouts to use to help us see the holes in our research and consider what other records might be available.  I can’t share those here, but will share any findings as a result of my working with them.  So far the only thing I’ve done with them is scan them and overlay a table over them in my word processor.  It’ll be interesting to see what comes of using them.

Yes, I’d love nothing more than to go out and search for more documents on my ancestors, use those research tactics that Elizabeth drilled into us, but I see the importance in analyzing what I already have.