But what's the cost to the university for those five simultaneous users? If previously it was up to students to acquire a copy of the book, but now we (the university) are paying through the nose for electronic devices PLUS buying licenses for the books. Heck, why not just skip the high-tech middle man and buy the hard copy textbooks for students??
I'm all for making access better but instead of buying faddish pricey devices that a) can't leave the library b) require battery power or outlet c) need tech support d) only get you permission to READ a book, not to own it, resell it etc, and e) will become obsolete thus requiring expensive upgrading... instead of all that, why not just pressure publishers to bring down the cost of regular textbooks, and get profs to quit requiring a new edition every year?
This goes back to my point that technology is not a magic bullet. You could use a can of soup to pound in a nail, but wouldn't it make more sense to use a hammer (and eat the soup) ?
Until I can scribble notes in the margins, and sell my used e-books to my local second-hand store, and read an e-book in the bathtub without fear of destroying not just the book I drop in the Mr. Bubble but ALL 1200 BOOKS ON THE DEVICE (not to mention the device itself -- you don't just end up with one still-readable book with ripply pages, your entire library is gone AND you've been struck blind)...until that point, I'm not sold that digital is any kind of a replacement.
no subject
I'm all for making access better but instead of buying faddish pricey devices that a) can't leave the library b) require battery power or outlet c) need tech support d) only get you permission to READ a book, not to own it, resell it etc, and e) will become obsolete thus requiring expensive upgrading... instead of all that, why not just pressure publishers to bring down the cost of regular textbooks, and get profs to quit requiring a new edition every year?
This goes back to my point that technology is not a magic bullet. You could use a can of soup to pound in a nail, but wouldn't it make more sense to use a hammer (and eat the soup) ?
Until I can scribble notes in the margins, and sell my used e-books to my local second-hand store, and read an e-book in the bathtub without fear of destroying not just the book I drop in the Mr. Bubble but ALL 1200 BOOKS ON THE DEVICE (not to mention the device itself -- you don't just end up with one still-readable book with ripply pages, your entire library is gone AND you've been struck blind)...until that point, I'm not sold that digital is any kind of a replacement.
Here endeth the rant.