Books online: e-books, e-paper, and e-readers
| Pages | 19-22 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-01-2020-0009 |
| Published date | 28 February 2020 |
| Date | 28 February 2020 |
| Author | Peter Fernandez |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Library & information services |
Books online: e-books, e-paper, and e-readers
Peter Fernandez
Books have long been associated in
the public imagination with libraries.
Books have proven to be remarkably
adaptable, and they have withstood the
test of time as both practically and
culturally significant technology. In
recent decades, new communication
technologies have created a wide array
of new tools, but they have not rendered
the book irrelevant. Indeed, the first
quarter of 2019 was the first time in six
years that book sales did not grow in the
USA (Albanese, 2019a).
This column will explore how the
related technologies of e-books,
electronic reader (e-readers) and
electronic paper (e-paper) (often known
as e-ink) have (and have not) changed
the way that people and libraries
interact with books. It will highlight the
technological, legal, economic and
social trends that are likely to shape the
future of e-books and underscore some
of the unique ways with which those
forces will impact libraries.
The technologies
It is important to understand the
relationship of these core technologies
to project how they may evolve.
E-paper attempts to mimic the
properties of printed paper. In contrast
to other digital displays (such as tablets,
laptops screens or phones), e-paper
devices use significantly less electricity.
E-paper displays an image (usually
words) in place and then does not
require additional power until that
image needs to be changed. They also
usually do not have a backlight, which
creates a surface that reflects light
similarly to paper.
E-paper in turn has been used in the
past to create e-readers, which are
devices designed to prioritize reading as
their most important function. This
focus often means that they are less
expensive than related devices (such as
tablets), while still being able to retain
their charge for longer. Their key
selling point is the ability to provide a
superior reading experience – whether
because of the inherent properties of the
e-paper, clever marketing or, in some
cases, simply by being a device where
you cannot quickly switch to check your
e-mail or social media.
E-readers require a source of
content. While there are alternatives
(including libraries, copyright free
books and others) for the mainstream
consumer, this usually means
integration with one or more digital
platforms that provide (and usually sell)
e-books. These books come with their
own accompanying propriety software
and infrastructure, which will be
explored in more detail later.
Current usage
Given the popular narratives around
digital natives, it is easy to imagine
them as being the primary users of
e-reader technology. Older generations
who grew up with print books might
decide to stick with what they know,
while younger generations, being more
accustomed to emerging technologies,
embrace the usage provided by
e-readers. After all, younger generations
seem to be reading more (not less) than
older generations (ev en if they appear to
appreciate the value libraries less)
(Zickuhr andRainie, 2014).
Indeed, when e-readers were first
emerging, this narrative seemed to be
true. For example, in 2011, in the USA,
e-reader ownership doubled (from 6 to
12 per cent), with the demographics
skewing toward younger, mostly
college educated, consumers (Purcell,
2011). Analysts at the time posited that
this trend would be considered, as early
adopters were likely to read more books
than the average consumer (Coker,
2010). As the decade has progressed,
however, in the USA at least, this has
not turned out to be true. Instead, it is
the older generations who make up the
majority of the e-book market, and
understanding the forces that turned this
narrative on its head can help illuminate
the future (Grady, 2019).
Pricing trends
Amazon was a key early promoter of
e-readers. In the early 2010, it attempted
to leverage its place in the market by
setting the price of all e-books at $9.99.
Many publishers found this move
alarming. Strategically, publishers
feared that allowing Amazon to dictate
the price of the books could further
solidify Amazon’s overall power, and
tactically, they feared that people would
begin to associate the cost of a book as
being $10, which would undermine any
other pricing strategy they wanted to
use in the future.
Through some complicated legal
maneuverings, sparked by Apple
entering the marketplace, this original
price point became unsustainable. As a
result, the reality today is that
oftentimes e-books cost as much as, or
sometimes even more than, their print
counterpoints (Grady, 2019). When the
e-books were cheaper, there was a
financial incentive for purchasing the
electronic version of a book. A
dedicated e-reader could pay for itself in
savings buying e-books instead of print.
Now, a dedicated e-reader functions
more as a luxury item, instead of
something that pays for itself over time,
which in turn prioritizes people with
more disposable income.
Functionality
This explanation helps set the stage
for the interlinking of law, culture and
cost, but it is, by no means,
determinative. After all, many new
costly technologies are embraced
primarily by youth culture.
Significantly, one asset that e-readers
have is the ability to increase font size,
which may be of particular value to
older readers with eyesight issues.
LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 4 2020, pp. 19-22, V
CEmerald Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/LHTN-01-2020-0009 19
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