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Have you tried applying your gift cards to your e-reader bundles yet? If not, please visit this previous post for information on setting up an e-bookstore account without needing a credit card tied to your account, as well as additional information on free e-books for download.
We have also received word from our vendor that one guest who received two $25 Sony e-bookstore gift cards might experience some difficulty. If you are having problems setting up your Sony e-bookstore account and unable to activate your gift cards with Sony customer care, please contact us.
If you plan on using OverDrive Digital Libraries or any other kind of Adobe-DRM e-books, you will need to create an Adobe account and download and install Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). Both of these are free. You can put one account on up to six computers. Each e-reading device will need to be tied to your ADE account; your account can have up to six devices associated with it.
One last thing: Before you work with Adobe Digital Editions, make sure your computer’s clock is correct. ADE checks your computer’s clock to verify both ADE and e-books against its own DRM servers. This means that your computer’s clock must be accurate when you install ADE, as well as when you load any e-books onto your computer.
Here is information on installing Adobe Digital Editions
Keeping in mind that the purpose of Adobe DRM is to make sure that your e-books are returned to the library on time, it makes sense that both your clock and Adobe need to make sure that your books are checked out and returned on time. Fortunately for you, the fix to this problem is easy; you may fix your clock at any time, and you should no longer have problems with Adobe Digital Editions or e-book checkouts.
If you have questions about ADE, Adobe’s FAQ provides a good background with solutions to many problems or contact me.
Amazon does not require a credit card. In order to download e-books without a credit card, you will need to change your default 1-click payment method at Amazon.com. Follow the steps below:
You may be prompted to enter debit or credit card information, but this is not required. If you would like to purchase books without a credit card, you may still apply a gift card to your account at Amazon.com (requires being registered and logged in)
iTunes does not require a credit card to download apps. Please follow the instructions below to set up your library’s iTunes account without a credit card.
Detailed instructions on setting up your iTunes account with a gift card instead of a credit card can also be found here.
Sony Reader Store does not require a credit card on file to set up your account or to download e-books. Once you set up your account, you may freely download any free e-book. You may also redeem your Sony Reader Store gift card later at any time. E-book downloads from the Sony Reader Store are done from the Sony Reader Library software. 
Borders does not require a credit card on file to download e-books. You may download free e-books on their site for many e-books. As you can see in the screenshot below, some e-books allow you to download the file directly from the site (by clicking “download pdf” or “download epub”), while others do not. 
Purchasing e-books from Borders – you may also apply gift cards to your Borders account when you are “checking out.” You will still need to enter all of your information when ordering. If you plan on purchasing e-books with your gift cards, you may do so as long as the gift card covers the full amount of the e-book. If the gift card only partially pays for the e-book, a credit card is needed to cover the remaining balance.
Barnes & Noble requires a credit card to download any e-books from their e-bookstore, whether or not the book costs money. Even with a gift card tied to your Barnes & Noble account, you will need a credit card on file to purchase any e-book from B&N, regardless of cost. However, you may set up your nook account without a credit card and sideload e-books on your nook that are not from the Barnes & Noble store.
Here are some places where you can find e-books for your nook without a credit card:
Every librarian participating in the E-Reader Summit & Technology Summit will receive a choice of one of the following bundles per person. These bundles will be used for hands-on training during the E-Reader Summit & Technology Summit.
Your library should have already selected one of the bundles. For more information about these bundles and other e-reader updates, please feel free to check for updates or contact us.
The bundles for the E-Reader Summit & Technology Showcase are listed below:
You may have received an e-mail over the weekend about preparing for the E-Reader Summit & Technology Conference. Here is part of the e-mail you received:
Before Arrival
You will receive your E-reader bundle on the day of the event, but your library will need to have several accounts set up before you will be able to use your e-readers that day, download e-books, access OverDrive and use your gift cards.
Before you arrive, please do the following for your library location:
1. Set up an Adobe Digital Editions account
2. Set up accounts at the following websites based on the e-readers in your selected bundle. These accounts can be associated with a limited number of devices.
iPad: iTunes account setup
Nook: Barnes & Noble account setup
Sony Reader: Reader Store account
Kindle: Amazon account setup
Kobo/Libre: Borders account setup (link corrected)
Each one of these accounts has a purpose for your device.
Adobe Digital Editions is used to download DRM encrypted e-books from digital libraries or certain bookstores. Basically this means that a publisher or library will put a lock on an e-book, and Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) will check your user account and make sure that the owner of the account and device are authentic. ADE is mandatory if your library plans on using OverDrive Digital Library e-books. Fortunately, an ADE account is free, and you can register one account to six computers and six devices.
iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Sony Reader Store, Amazon and Borders stores are tied to the devices listed next to them. Many devices (the iPad, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo and Libre) can read books from most other stores. The Kindle is a notable exception. If any of these devices will be in your bundle, please create an account. You will need it to order e-books for the device.
Gift Cards are included with the E-Reader Summit & Technology Showcase bundles, with each gift card appropriate for at least one reader in the bundles. In order to use a gift card to buy e-books from e-bookstores, your library will need to set up an account with that e-bookstore. Once the account is set up, you can download books from the e-bookstore and load them onto compatible devices.
Compatibility with other E-Bookstores is where things get slightly confusing. It is possible to order books from several stores for certain devices, but each device and each store have different policies. Some stores have different DRM locks from others. Please review the chart below to check the compatibility of your devices with other stores.
For a good example, this article sums up some of the difficulties of e-readers and e-bookstores.
If a device can access a bookstore but requires an app or Adobe Digital Editions, it is noted below.
|
|
|||||
| Kindle |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
| iPad Wi-Fi |
Yes, App |
Yes, App |
Yes, App |
No | Yes, App |
| Nook Wi-Fi |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes, ADE |
Yes, ADE |
| Sony Reader Pocket |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes, ADE |
| Libre |
No |
No |
No |
Yes, ADE |
Yes |
| Kobo eReader |
No |
No |
No |
Yes, ADE |
Yes |
And finally, some companies such as Barnes & Noble, own additional e-book stores outside of the normal storefront. For example, B&N owns Fictionwise and eReader. Please check your devices to see which additional stores they can use.
The PocketBook 360 is a popular device within e-reader community circles. It is also an international device, having been developed in Russia.
Hardware
The PocketBook 360 is one of the smallest readers with a 5” diagonal E Ink screen, The built-in accelerometer detects orientation changes quickly, and the buttons readjust to match the direction of the screen. This device only supports ebooks and not audiobooks, so there are no speakers and no headphone jack. The pocketbook comes with a USB charger, and does not come with an AC adapter, so the PocketBook 360 can only be charged at a PC. Here are some other specs:
Software
It supports many file formats that are used inside and outside of the United States. Supported file types are FB2, FB2.zip, TXT, PDF, RTF, HTML, PRC, CHM, DJVU, DOC, EPUB and TCR. and unlike some DRM-locked US e-readers, the PocketBook is popular outside of the US. It also has a fairly large world-wide community of developers who make open source software for PocketBook devices, including games, dictionaries, and tools such as subway maps. There is also a photo album built into the device. It supports JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF images.
Appearance
The PocketBook 360 comes with a hard plastic case that can lock onto the front of the reader to protect the screen, or onto the back of the reader while it is in use. If it matters, there is a choice between a black or ivory device. The plastic cover took a few minutes to get used to, but ended up being a very solid and professional looking piece of cover. Although small and light, the hard cover and sturdy construction make the PocketBook 360 seem like one it would survive being stuffed in a purse or a back pocket next to car keys.
User Guide
Unlike most e-readers, the PocketBook 360 does come with a printed manual, as well as a manual loaded onto the device. The user guide has some translation errors but is still fairly easy to use, with clear visual guides and simple instructions. There is also a link to the user guide on the official website.
Ease-of-use
The D-Pad is fairly flush with the ‘OK’ button, so the user may want to read a manual. Once the user knows where the buttons are, navigation is intuitive and thankfully remains consistent. For example, tapping the ‘left’ button on the D-Pad in menus will bring the user back to the previous page. Selecting the ‘OK’ button in a book, photo or game will pull up a fairly robust context-sensitive menu. Tapping the power button locks the keys, while holding it a few seconds turns off the device. The accelerometer is surprisingly fast, and more importantly adjusts the buttons to fit with new screen orientation. Once the user understands the general workings, it’s fairly easy to work without a manual.
Other notes – Like most e-readers, the PocketBook 360 cannot change the metadata of a book once it is loaded on the device. Changing the metadata needs to be done on the computer before transferring it.
Customization
The user can re-map buttons to customize the interface. If the user wants to change the page turn buttons, he can do so. There is a surprisingly high number of possible button maps, such as different mappings for tapping or holding buttons. You can also change all of the default button mappings.
Reading books
There is a fairly long load time to begin book, marked with an hourglass on the screen. Once the book is loaded, changing options and turning pages is fairly fast. The device orients the books automatically with the accelerometer.
Reading EPUB format e-books
Reading EPUB files, generally considered the international standard e-book format, is fairly enjoyable. One EPUB we tested was a originally a PDF converted to EPUB format, complete with rich images and links. The converted EPUB read well, with rich images still showing and now a resizable text. Some of the links that were converted in the table of contents did not work. Native EPUB documents had no issues at all. EPUB clearly is an easy-to-use format for reading e-books on the PocketBook 360.
Reading PDF format e-books
Reading PDFs on the PocketBook 360 started out as a nightmare, and ended up improving (but only marginally.) We first tested a page from Boise Weekly. The device tries to squeeze an entire newspaper page onto the 5” screen, which is pretty typical of e-readers. However, the PocketBook 360 does not allow the user to resize any text. Instead, the user must zoom in on areas; this is fairly difficult to navigate, especially with slow refresh and images split across multiple screens. The accelerometer can help the user with scrolling around zoomed areas.
Strangely, some of the rich images are blacked, resembling something like censored mail in a third world country. There is a quick workaround for this issue. Instead of tapping the “OK” button to open a PDF, hold the ‘OK’ button while highlighting a PDF until a context-sensitive menu pops up. Choose the command that says ‘Open With,’ and then select ‘AdobeViewer.’ Using AdobeViewer eliminated all of the blacked out images.
However, there was still the issue of text not displaying properly. There is a workaround for text in the ‘zoom’ setting. While the PDF is open, use the ‘OK’ button to bring up a context-sensitive menu. Then select “zoom.” The user should toggle on PDF reflow by selecting “Reflow: 150%”. PDF reflow did not work with all PDFs, such as newspapers and some scholarly journals. While the PocketBook 360 did end up being able to read a PDF ebook with these changes, it still was extremely difficult to read anything complex or with images. If the user plans on reading many journals, magazines or newspapers, you may want to avoid this device.
Transferring DRMed Books
DRM-encrypted books were tested by using OverDrive’s Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) PDFs and EPUBs with DRM. The OverDrive downloads need to be opened with Adobe Digital Editions, which may not happen automatically. Once the devices are loaded into ADE, they can be dragged and dropped into the device. OverDrive DRM e-books are automatically sorted on the PocketBook 360 into a folder called “Digital Editions,” and not by author. The DRMed PDF downloaded from OverDrive did not work until PDF reflow was turned on. Once PDF reflow was toggled on, the book was readable; font was adjustable and images showed up beautifully. The DRMed EPUB worked fine and had no issues, and could display images and adjust font without any tweaking. If you plan on reading OverDrive ebooks, I would recommend going for EPUB books first, and then opting for PDF as a last resort.
One last thing to note: Metadata cannot be changed in DRMed PDFs or EPUBs, and can only be viewed as shown below.
Transferring DRM-free books – DRM-free books can be transferred by dragging the e-book file into the device folder, which will appear in your PC as a removable disk.
Applications
Applications have been created specifically for the PocketBooks as open source software. However, most of these formats are compressed as .zip, .rar, or .bz2 files and will require some tech savviness that may not be allowed in a public library setting. For example, the default dictionary is an English-Russian translator. PocketBook’s website lists dictionaries, but most of these are compressed. Dragging and dropping the files to the device will not work unless the files are decompressed and then converted with the PocketBook reader’s dictionary converter. There is also a PocketBook 360 developer community which creates open source applications. There is little to no instruction in either of these websites, and most of the instructions are based off community developer forums.
Unless the user is tech savvy, changing applications and having an English-only dictionary could be a bit of a problem.
News Feed
There is a separate downloadable program, called PocketNews, which syncs RSS feeds to the PocketBook 360 when the PocketBook is plugged into a PC. This was not tested.
BookLand.net
BookLand.net is the advertised international PocketBook 360 e-book store. It is sorted first by language and then by subject, but browsing is a librarian’s nightmare. There are hundreds upon hundreds of subjects listed with virtually no order, yet ironically “fiction” is not listed. When the subject is narrowed down, the user may then browse by author which remains extremely complicated. However, if the user can handle using BookLand to browse or search, most of the books are free EPUBs, formatted specifically for the PocketBook 360. If you can deal with navigating the bookstore, there are a lot of books available.
One last thing to note: The PocketBook 360 is compatible with e-books purchased from other stores, as long as the e-books are not locked by a proprietary file format or proprietary DRM (such as Amazon’s Kindle books).
Apple’s products, such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad include accessibility features for the visually impaired. Shortcuts to accessibility features, a zoom function and closed captioning are included with the iPad. The iPad also allows the user to choose mono audio, which will focus the iPad’s speakers on either the right or left side of the device. VoiceOver software is included on the iPad. This program recognizes gestures made on the touchscreen and describes items as well as actions to the user. The user also has the ability to switch from black print on a white screen to the high-contrast white print on black.
In addition to built-in software, the backlit LCD screen provides an edge against E Ink e-readers when it comes to users who are visually impaired.
Accessories & Apps
Solona offers covers for the iPad, iPod and iPhone which make the screen slightly tactile for such activities as using the touchscreen keyboard.
The American Foundation for the Blind lists some useful iPad apps, including DaisyWorm, and audio book reader by the Association for the Blind of Western Australia, Inc. There is also an app which utilizes the iPhone’s camera called Digit-Eyes. This app reads item labels out loud to the user.
The Kindle’s Text-to-SpeechText-to-Speech, or TTS, was an early feature of the Kindle 2. This software “reads” the text of an e-book out loud with a computerized voice.
TTS Controversy
Due to controversy over competition with audiobooks from publishers and the Author’s Guild, this feature was temporarily removed. Further controversy ensued because the Kindle was not accessible to the visually impaired.
On July 28th, 2010 the Library of Congress recommended that TTS may be considered legal under certain circumstances. Essentially, all users are allowed to legally circumvent DRM to enable TTS when there is no other audiobook option.
To Free or Not To Free
While there are many free apps available for download, there are also many valuable apps for purchase. “Free” or “lite” versions tend to be previews of full apps, available for purchase. Free and lite apps also tend to have ads prominently displayed or commercials. However, if you are not sure about whether you are ready to pay money for an app, downloading the free preview may help you with your decision. Be sure to check user reviews to see how well the app performs. Many reviews of free apps also reveal how many ads or commercials users will deal with, and getting rid of these ads may make it worth purchasing the full version of the app.
Book Aggregators
Stanza – Stanza is a free app available for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. It allows the user to visit e-book aggregators and public domain sites like Project Gutenberg, or to download free books from well-known publishers like Harlequin. Stanza also allows the user to browse bookstores to purchase e-books to the device.
E-Book Stores
Many bookstores have iPad apps. These apps are free to download initially, although purchasing books will require an account with the store and a credit card. Most e-book stores have the same features, but their collections will vary and gift cards may only be used with certain stores.
Here are some of the most popular e-book store apps:
Children’s Books
Children’s books translate well to the iPad, giving children the opportunity to touch objects in pictures and have the names of the objects read out loud. Some apps can also highlight words or animate actions as they happen. There are many free apps for children’s books, including illustrated public domain materials. There are also apps for purchase, such as the highly interactive The Cat in the Hat – Dr. Seuss app.
For children of an age where word, color and image recognition are linked to hands-on interaction, children’s books may be perfect.
Publishers
Large- and small-scale publishers often have apps where they post news, podcasts, interviews, and list new and notable books. Most publishers also sell their e-books through their apps.
Enhanced Editions is a series of apps featuring single books of some large publishers in the US and UK, as well as some fairly famous authors (including Stephen King, Philip Pullman and Barack Obama to name a few.) These books are considered “enhanced” because they include additional features, such as an audiobook synchronized to text and audio and video interviews. Most of these books can be downloaded individually as a free preview or purchased as a full book through the iTunes store.
HarperCollins’s book apps may include a free version (a preview) and the full version, or complete e-book. A full e-book or guide, such as the full version of the SAS Survival Guide, will need to be purchased.
Harlequin has worked on digitizing e-books for years, releasing free romance novels to the iPhone before the iPad ever
came out. These books can be read through a different free app, Stanza, which links to Harlequin’s free novels.
Harlequin has also released several free e-books for individual downloads from the iTunes app store. Harlequin also has several romance graphic novel apps, both as free and for purchase.
Last, Hachette Book Group’s Twilight: The Graphic Novel can be previewed for free or purchased for the iPad, both as apps.
General and Hobby-Related apps
One of the great features of the iPad is that although it can be used for books, it can also do other things. Because of the large library of apps available, the iPad can provide general information with a visual hands-on approach. Here are some examples of free apps which may appeal to the general public:
There are many other apps with a general appeal too, although most of these apps require purchasing because of the technology used. Many hiking and camping enthusiasts, for example, may want to
purchase maps that use GPS coordinates to find trails and campsites, while spots enthusiasts may want to subscribe to ESPN podcasts.
News apps
Many news companies and magazines have free sample apps, as well as higher quality subscription apps. Some of the newspapers and magazines available to the iPad through apps are:
Many of these apps take advantage of the iPad’s technology to create an experience completely different from reading the print material. WIRED Magazine, for example, shows off new technology by letting the iPad user interact with images, audio and video embedded into the articles. This image of a pocket knife, for example, unfolds when touched to display all of its tools.
Know Your Community
What are your patrons interested in? A high-end app full of hiking trails and maps may be useful for some communities, while a children’s librarian may prefer hands-on children’s books. A little research and some hands-on previewing will show which apps work for you.
My favorite piece of technology these days is my baby lock Espire sewing machine. We spend long, peaceful hours together, piecing blocks of fabric, and then quilting them into being. 
There’s really very little that I can create on the Espire that I couldn’t create on my Grandmother’s treadle machine that sits in my living room, or with needle and thread for that matter. But the speed, precision and convenience of this powerful tool allow me to focus on design, pattern and color. I can take the dream of an idea and execute it in timely fashion, without it becoming a nightmare of a project.
My iPad, which runs a close second for my affections, is much the same. There’s nothing I can do with it that I can’t do with other tools. I have other computers for e-mail, FaceBook and exploring the internet. My mp3 player lets me tune in to many recordings, and I still enjoy listening to the radio. I have shelves of books at home, and a world-class library down the street. I watch network television or a DVD in my living room. I read a newspaper every morning, and often linger over the Sudoku. I own a good collection of maps. I have a lovely, leather-bound appointment book that I’ve carried for years.
My iPad does all those things. And, weighing only 1.6 pounds, it also fits in my purse. Not only is it an incredibly useful information tool, I love the idea that I’m packing the complete works of William Shakespeare, about a dozen novels (so far), the periodic table of elements, and several video games. 
More significantly, the iPad lets me easily integrate information. By touching the screen, I can look up words as I read a novel. I can write my grocery list while reading recipes on Epicurious. I can find sheet music and play a few notes of it using musicalTouch. Wikihood links me to the buildings, people and events around me.
My iPad does have some limitations. It isn’t easy to print from an iPad – I have to move a document to another computer to do this. It doesn’t display Adobe Flash, which means there are some things on the Internet I can’t see.
Last night, my iPad even proved its worth while going to my monthly quilt group meeting. I showed a friend a photo on my iPad of the quilt I’m working on. We were able to zoom in on some of the blocks to look at the detail. We then talked about her upcoming trip to Rothenburg, Germany, and we looked up Kathe Wohlfahrt’s Christmas Shop. During the meeting, I updated my calendar with the dates of the upcoming quilt shop hop. My iPad will never be able to sew 1,000 stitches per minute, or clip thread, but it connects me to many sources of information, and allows me to share both my own work and what I find. And there are even some good quilting apps.
When any new technology arises, new terms are vital to explain these changes as easily as possible. ‘Library 2.0’ is a perfect example, and e-readers are bringing even more buzzwords and acronyms to the frontlines. Not only are new words created, but some major distinctions are appearing between words like the difference between a ‘virtual library’ and a ‘digital library,’ where they are not interchangeable.
Librarians and readers may need to work on their e-reader literacy. Below is a list of some of the biggest recent e-reader buzzwords. Please feel free to pitch in your own.
Accelerometer – An accelerometer measures acceleration of vibration and can be used in rockets, aircraft, and e-readers (among other things). In terms of e-readers, an accelerometer is the internal hardware that detects to which direction your e-reader is facing and adjusts the screen accordingly. Essentially, accelerometers provide an ‘auto-flip’ feature. If an e-reader does not have a built-in accelerometer, the reader must manually switch the device’s orientation between portrait and landscape.
Digital Library – A digital library is a collection of digital documents. Some digital libraries, such as OverDrive, NetLibrary and Ingram Digital, can loan books to e-readers through public libraries. Other digital libraries, such as Project Gutenberg and LibriVox, specialize in public domain materials.
DRM – DRM, or Digital Rights Management, refers to technology used by hardware manufacturers which controls access to files. In terms of e-readers, DRM is used by companies like OverDrive to put expiration dates on digital library checkouts. Some e-readers are made to handle DRM, while others cannot. Notable e-readers which cannot handle DRM are the Kindle and the iPad, which means that neither of these devices can check out e-books from OverDrive. DRM is generally considered to be a controversial topic. Publishers, readers and manufacturer’s all have a stake in different sides of the DRM argument.
E Ink – E Ink is a technology created by the E Ink Corporation. E Ink moves black and white pigments up or down to show text on a screen, similar to an Etch-a-Sketch. It is clear and high resolution, and because it does not use a backlight it is considered to be easier to read for extended periods of time. It is possible to have an E Ink touchscreen. Disadvantages are that E Ink does not display in color, there is a slight delay between page turns when the pigments reconfigure, and E Ink screens require additional lighting at night.
EPUB – EPUB is an international standard file format for e-books recommended by the International Digital Publishing Forum. EPUB and PDF are the two most widely used e-book file types.
LCD – LCD, or Liquid Crystal Display, is a screen technology used in tablets and e-readers. LCD screens are backlit and can display full color, and brightness can be adjusted. Although LCD screens do not replicate the appearance of paper like E Ink, they load pages faster and do not require additional lighting at night. Most importantly, visually impaired readers may feel that LCD screens are more accessible.
Sideloading – Sideloading is the term used to describe transferring files from one device to another. For more information, see this blog post about sideloading and e-readers.
UI – UI, or User Interface, is what the reader interacts with. This may be the icons on the touchscreen or buttons on the device. Understandably, a good UI makes for a much better reading experience than an unresponsive, confusing or cluttered UI.
Virtual Library – Although the terms ‘digital library’ and ‘virtual library’ are usually used interchangeably to refer to digital documents, a virtual library is actually different. A virtual library may contain digital documents, but is also an extension to a traditional brick-and-mortar library, and may provide traditional library services like reference (such as Ask-a-librarian), research help, or the ability to place holds.