Bakti College E-Learning Center Librarie Should Provide More Books Rather Than Invest

In New Technology Such As E-books and E-jounals

Mr Ng Chin Lee
Head of Department
15 October 2015

To

Ng Chin Lee, Head of Department

From :

Luk Key Ting, Head of Librarian

Date

15 October 2015

Subject

Bakti College E-Learning Center Librarie Should Provide More Books

Rather
Than Invest In New Technology Such As E-Books and E-Journals.
1.0

INTRODUCTION
With technology surrounding us, it does have powerful effect on our daily lives either

socially, economically and in our education especially in the books we read. Basically, there are
two particularly types of books we would engage with:
Firstly, Traditional paper or printed books and secondly Electronic books (e-books),
which can be viewed on a computer or on tablets.

In the world today, Internet seems to play a major role in every aspect of our lives
especially in communication. It is obviously an amazing invention. For example, unlike before
we depend on sea mail or air mail which took weeks and months to reach the destination. Today
via an email we can send mails to reach others in just few minutes. Likewise, nowadays more
and more people would prefer e-books for reading rather than paper or printed books. E-books
are electronic books in electronic format. It is downloaded to a computer or a specifically
designed handheld device and is read on the monitor. An e-book also consists of numbered
pages, table of contents, pictures and graphics, exactly like a paper book. It is easily download
and purchase through the Internet. However, the question that arises is whether a person could
learn as much as reading from printed books. Another concern would be the number of hours one
has to spend in front of the computer screen beneficial to him or her. Many debates and articles
have been written over past decades on the pros and cons; advantages and disadvantages;
negative and positive effect of e-books in regards to our public library.

Should our libraries invest in more e-books or should we just maintain the paper books
we have. As the Librarian in charge, I would like to highlight a few points on this subject matter.

Firstly, it would be useful for us to look at the current situation in our country and what
happen all over the world. Perhaps, identifying the issue faced and the need for changes, cost
involved and some of the proper view for Libraries to provide more books rather than investing
in e-books and e-journals.
2.0

OUR PRESENT WORLD

With the increase in multimedia and technology, many feel that there is a need for library

to be upgraded in terms of technology such as providing computer software, videos, DVDs for
library users. Library that only provides paper and printed books and materials are considered
outdated. One of the possible reasons why many people prefer e-book to paper book because not
everybody is able to purchase more printed or paper books. E-book could sometimes less time
consuming and cheaper as they are easily available on the Internet. You can save your time in
searching for the books you are interested and wants to purchase. Sometimes, you can easily
download these books directly from Internet. Some books are available free of charge on various
websites. E-book is also easy to store and take up less space whereas paper books would need
big bulky bookshelves to keep them. In fact, you don't actually need any space to store them.
Hundreds and thousands of e-books can be installed on your computer or laptop. This will save
you a lot of storage space and also means you have a backup online if something happens to your
books. The cost to purchase EBooks is often cheaper in the long run because there are no
printing costs associated with them. Furthermore, you can often find free eBooks online, whereas
for paper books, you will always need to pay for them. With an eBook, you can easily change the
lettering or the size of your font to suit you are convenient and comfort in reading. Whereas for
paper books, after long reading you will have to pause and stop because your eyes feel tired.
With an e-book, you can just adjust the font size and continue reading. Thus, this is also a great
feature for those who need large print books. Purchasing and download e-books are very simple
and easy over the Internet like purchasing any other product. Often, after payments has been
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made you will either be directed to a download page or receive the download link in an email.
Then you will be directed to certain link and website and all you have to do is click on the link
and the e-book will automatically download to your computer, to a folder of your own choice.
Usually, after downloaded you don't have to be connected to the Internet in order to read the ebook. You can stay offline and you can also easily make copies by printing them. Certain
information can be obtained easily from e-books too. You just need to Google the topics and
titles you would like to search and acquire. Another good thing about e-books is that it is
portable and you can easily carry a whole library of hundreds of books with you, on CD, pendrive, in a laptop, notebook or any e-book reader, without worrying about their weight. Thus,
you can have the advantage to read them anywhere you would like to. Beside the topics you are
interested, with e-books, you can also easily access to more information and related websites
because it helps to link from one link to another.
Compares to paper books, you can easily search for any information in an ebook, instead
of turning page after page. Multimedia is, in many ways, indeed superior to the books in terms of
entertainment, attraction, and functionality. It helps assist and provide people to have a
first-hand experience even though they have not physically visited or seen the objects which are
introduced in the books.
3.0

CHALLENGES OF E-BOOKS
Even though there are many great aspects and positive factors that surround E-Books, and

there seem to be a lot of advantages over paper books, but we cant deny the fact that there are
also some negative factors and challenges related to e-books in regards to our libraries. Let me
highlight some of the possible challenges concerning e-booking:

3.1

E-books reader can be costly.

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E-books reader can be costly and inconvenient at times. An e-book reader, also known as
an e-reader, is actually a portable electronic device that is made primarily for the purpose of
reading e-books. Ebooks would require special device for keeping it and reading e-books.
As for paper books, it doesnt need any device nor do you need a special charger to keep
the device running. For readers to access into e-books on a computer or laptop, certain software
programs are needed and those programs will need to be compatible with the computer or device
used. Often, that would cause frustration to user when the software is not compatible to their
computer. E-book selection, acquisition, and management can be complex and expensive. Some
of this software programs are either free or commercialized programs where you need to
purchase them. There are lots of paid academic e-books which cost much more than printed
books. Many assume that e-books should cost less than print editions. Some see the low prices of
mass market e-books and assume that the same pattern must hold true for scholarly titles. There
is also an assumption that e-books are less expensive for publishers to produce. That assumption
is not usually not accurate. However, the writing, editing, and formatting processes are the same
whether the final product is issued in print, in digital format, or both.
Although print editions or paper books require printing, binding, and shipping, e-books
have their own unique costs such as online hosting, server and network maintenance,
reformatting for multiple platforms or file formats, customer service, and technical support.
Without realizing, often times we will need to pay a much higher price for obtaining an e-books.
Owing to that, the library might need to have a financial budget and allocation each year to either
purchase new software or upgrade the existing one. Besides purchasing E-readers and e-books
the library will need to purchase additional computer for more readers to be able to read e-book.
This will obviously increase the financial burden of the Management. Some reading material
might only be accessible to readers unless it is connected to internet. All electronic devices such
as computers are also subject to failures, and could malfunction. This would increase the
maintenance charges for the library to upkeep all the computers each year. A paper book can be
read without worrying that the words on the page will disappear. E-Book readers are special
devices or programs on a computer that allow the user to access the book electronically. There is
absolutely no paper involved. However, if there is a power failure and the batteries on the
5

computer die off, the user will not be able to access the book. Technically there are risks
involved too.
3.2

Not every latest book released is put into a digital format.

While there are millions of e-books available for download, not every book published is put into
a digital format. The new bestselling book initially may just release in paperback form and not in
digital form. Many academic or scholarly titles are not available in any e-book format. This has
been a major factor in librarians reluctance to commit to e-book collections. Furthermore, major
library e-book vendors or suppliers offer just a fraction of the titles that academic librarians are
likely to need. In addition, because e-books are electronically, digital distribution there is a
possibility in the delay of its delivery compares to its form in paper books. To be able to preserve
e-books, it is also difficult and challenging because each e-book consists of several distinct
elements such as the content and formatting of the work itself, the file format, and the software
needed to access and use the file, the operating system needed to run the software, and hardware
compatible with the operating system.
3.3

E-books need constant checking for security vulnerabilities.

Any computer program can be risky to the computer when it is connected to the internet.

It is vulnerable for attack by virus and spyware. Anti-Virus, Anti-Malware and Spyware may
change registry information. Basically, the registry is the components that allow a program to
work. Thus, anytime a software program is updated, the registry entry will change. Often times
after an update, the registry will allow the program to continue running.
Library, its open to the public and to everybody and thus it will not be easy to monitor all
users especially with those who are unfamiliar or lack of computer knowledge. Any carelessness
will eventually make the program malfunction or infected by certain virus. The user may not
understand the change, mistake the update for a virus, and deny a crucial registry change that
allows the E-Book reader to work. Extra cost will definitely incurred to maintain and to service
the computers we have in our libraries. Its wise for children and teens to read paper books
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instead of e-books because it opens them out to uncensored sites. Computers maybe abused by
users. Paper books help people to focus and concentrate. They are not easily distracted. Reading
online tends to distract readers from searching for new books, visit websites, and look up links
rather than focus on the books they are reading.
3.4

E-Books can cause eyes discomfort.

Reading e-books on a computer screen can be unhealthy and affecting our eyes. The light

from the computer screen can cause headaches and even mild migraine and feels uncomfortable
after long hours of reading. The computer screen does not have the same type of resolution like
paper book has. This is one of the physiological effects of watching too much computer. Though
our eyes is said to contain the strongest muscles in our body, they can become strained and
fatigued by sitting too long in front of a computer or in front of a TV for a couple of hours. An
eye specialist will assure you that watching too much computer or television won't permanently
damage your eyes. However, focusing your eyes too long on any one thing can cause eyestrain, a
temporary but irritating problem. Watching too much television, reading too many books or
staring at a computer screen will permanently damage your eyes. However, all of these activities
can cause severe eyestrain. Possible Symptoms of eyestrain include headache, tired eyes, light
sensitivity, temporary blurred or double vision and sore or itchy eyes.
For some people, eye strains can also lead to reduction in productivity and ability to
concentrate and may even negatively impact our eyesight. As the presence of technology
increases, so do the chances for our vision to worsen.

3.5

E-book cause Piracy problem

E-book cause Piracy problem for author and Publisher. Software piracy is the illegal

copying, distribution, or use of software. It is such a profitable "business" that it has caught the
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attention of organized crime groups in a number of countries. For library, no matter how much
hard work you put in making a new e-book, there will always be some people make our library
e-books for free download on some torrent site or any other. This can be a very serious issue
among author and publisher. According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA), about 36% of
all software in current use is stolen. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is a watchdog group
dedicated to fighting software piracy, educating computer users about software copyrights and
cyber-security, and advocating public policy for electronic commerce, and emerging technology
issues.
Software piracy causes significant lost revenue for publishers, which in turn results in
higher prices for the consumer. When you purchase a commercial software package, usually an
end user license agreement is included to protect that software program from copyright
infringement. Typically, the license states that you can install the original copy of software you
bought on one computer and that you can make a backup copy in case the original is lost or
damaged. You agree to the licensing agreement when you open the software package, when you
open the envelope that contains the software disks, or when you install the software.
Software piracy would include firstly, Soft-lifting in which you borrow and install a copy
of a software application from a colleague. It could be Client-server overuse. You installed more
copies of the software than you have licenses for. It can be Hard-disk loading. You install and
sell unauthorized copies of software on refurbished or new computers. Counterfeiting is also a
form of software piracy, duplicating and selling copyrighted programs. Thus, this could be a
possible issue Library would need to face when having multimedia facilities in the library.

4.0

CONCLUSION
Regardless of the fact of the rapid growth and development on our multimedia and

technology, Libraries face significant challenges related to the selection, licensing, acquisition,
and management of e-books. The fact that not all print books acquired by the libraries might be
available as e-books. The fact that many of the latest academic e-books might be released only
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after three to eighteen months from the date the printed editions were released. The fact that
many licenses require repeated payments for access to content that do not change over time. All
these factors challenges can be traced to a more general problem such as the lack of uniformity
in license terms, lease conditions, access restrictions, and librarians expectations. It is a known
fact that only paper books are the only reliable and safe source of information. Print copies of
books do not fade despite this challenging matter with e-books. They still play a vital role in the
way people experience books despite the continuous increase of online popularity. Paper books
are not easily lost compares to e-books which can be deleted accidentally or malfunction.

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