A new searchable database is available on the askSam Web site:

* 2008 Vice Presidential Debate - Search the full text of the 2008 vice presidential debate transcript between Republican candidate Gov. Sarah Palin and Democratic candidate Sen. Joe Biden online or download and search on your own PC.

Also available on this site is a link to the 1st and 2nd presidential debate eBooks and askSam will make the third debate available in eBook format.

http://www.asksam.com/ebooks/2008-Vice-Presidential-Debate

You can find these databases as well as others at: http://www.asksam.com/eBooks/

askSam Announces Free Presidential Debate eBook

A free, searchable database of the presidential debate transcript has been released by askSam Systems. The askSam database contains a full-text searchable archive of the full debate between Republican candidate John McCain and Democratic candidate Barak Obama. You can search, browse, and analyze the 2008 presidential debate online at www.asksam.com/ebooks/2008-presidential-debates. askSam will make available at this same site free searchable versions of upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates.

+ Other askSam searchable eBooks, including the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

Source: Information Today NewsBreaks

Hat tip: PW

College Bookstores to Begin Selling eTextbooks on Demand

Soon students will be able to buy electronic textbooks at the college bookstore, using kiosks that will download files and burn them to CD’s. The kiosks will also offer the latest Hollywood movies, which the machines will be able to burn onto DVD’s on demand.

The National Association of College Stores announced today that it has formed a spinoff company, NACS Media Solutions, to broker the deals with publishers to support the new on-demand service.

Movies will be the first product offered at the kiosks, which are scheduled to appear at seven stores next month. The plan is to add digital textbooks to the kiosks starting next summer, says Charles Schmidt, a spokesman for the association.

Source: Wired Campus (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Direct to article
23 pages; PDF.

by: Chris J. Armstrong (2008)

Abstract: Over recent years there has been considerable confusion over the use of the term ‘e-book’, and this article examines the variety of definitions used to date while proposing a definitive construct. Beginning by examining the definitions of ‘book’, the paper moves on to consider the essential element of a book – the content, and to examine publishing and structural aspects of e-books, as well as their place in libraries, before arriving at a final definition. The definition and its derivation embrace all of the issues that affect the way in which e-books are understood and
used today. In conclusion, the article looks at both the genesis of e-books, and the stage of acceptance and adoption that they have reached, with brief reference to 3rd-generation e-book readers available at the time of writing.

Source: e-LIS

Course Correction: How Digital Textbooks are Off Track and How to Set Them Straight

Textbooks are an essential but increasingly expensive part of obtaining a college degree. With students spending between $700 and $1,000 per year and prices rising faster than inflation, the need for a solution is increasingly urgent.

Digital textbooks are a promising way to lower costs for students. The digital format has the potential to cut production costs, increase options for students, and open up the market to more competition.

Digital textbooks are now beginning to gain a more prominent position in the textbooks marketplace, making it a critical time to ensure that they are on the right track. We are concerned, however, that digital textbooks are on the wrong track.

The Student PIRGs conducted this study to determine how digital textbooks can live up to their potential as a solution. Through a survey of 504 students from Oregon and Illinois and 50 commonly assigned textbook titles, we confirm three fundamental criteria – affordability, printing options, and accessibility. We found that publishers’ digital “e-textbooks” fail to meet these criteria, and that an emerging form of digital textbooks – open textbooks – are a perfect match.

+ Full Report (PDF; 1.6 MB)

Source: Student PIRGs

Starbucks Coffee Recipe E-book

Get ready to grab (for free of course) one of the most delicious collections of coffee recipes available online. It’s an amazing 32 page collection of their world famous coffee recipes such as iced Frappuccino, Caramel Macchiato, Chai Tea and many more. Plus delicious and one of a kind coffee pastries and amazing coffee sauces.

For your safety our e-book has been virus scanned and checked for any of that bad stuff and is completely safe and clean. There are also no irritating ads in it and there is nothing in it for you to buy.

+ Zip file (717 KB)

You can preorder the book from the GPO (soft or hardcover) and/or read online/download/print the 100 page book from this link on the FBI web site. Online access is available at no charge.

This 130-page coffee-table book—The FBI: A Centennial History, 1908-2008—traces our evolution over the past century from a makeshift band of 34 investigators to a full-fledged national security and intelligence agency with 30,000 special agents and specialized professionals working around the globe to protect the nation.

The book takes you on a walk through seven key chapters in FBI history, showing how the Bureau has been there for our country every step of the way—from World War I and the early days of terrorism to the gangster-driven crime wave of the ‘20s and ‘30s…from the anxious age of World War II and the Cold War to the turbulent ‘60s and its burgeoning civil rights movement…from the systemic corruption of the Watergate years to the rise of global terror and crime and the transformative post-9/11 era.

Source: FBI

by Carlock, Danielle M. and Perry, Anali Maughan (2008)

From the abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to describe how, in the spring of 2007, Arizona State University Libraries held a focus group of selected faculty to discover their perceptions and use of electronic books (e-books) in their research and teaching. Design/methodology/approach – The services of the Institute of Social Sciences Research were employed to recruit and moderate the focus group. Major themes explored were: use of e-books as textbooks; use of e-books for personal research; comparison between e-books and print; disciplinary differences in perceptions of e-books; and motivators for future use. Findings – Overall, the focus group revealed that faculty had generally unsatisfactory experiences in using e-books in their research and teaching owing to the unreliability of access, lack of manipulability, and the steep learning curve of the various interfaces. However, most faculty agreed that e-books would be a very viable and useful alternative if these issues were
resolved.

Source: Library Hi-Tech (via E-LIS)

From the OCLC announcement:

NetLibrary, OCLC’s platform for eContent and the leading provider of eBooks for the institutional library market, has announced agreements with 19 publishers that will add thousands of new eBooks and eAudiobooks to NetLibrary’s growing catalog of more than 170,000 titles.

Note: Many libraries (including public libraries) offer free REMOTE access (available from any computer with an Internet connection) to NetLibrary. In most cases, all you need is a library card for the specific library. Cool!!!

From the news release/summary:

ebrary, a leading provider of e-content services and technology, today announced that the results of its first 2008 Global Student E-book Survey completed by nearly 6,500 students throughout the world, representing approximately 400 individual institutions, are now publicly available at no cost. Anyone interested in receiving a digital copy may register at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MQw_2bsqqPdvfhhTWvN31Fwg_3d_3d. Printed copies will also be available at ebrary’s booth (#1792) at ALA Annual, June 28 to July 1, 2008 in Anaheim, CA, USA.

Source: ebrary

Direct to Full Text

Bezo’s talks about A9, e-books/Kindle, and Amazon.com history in this interview. From the interview:

One of your big initiatives, a search engine called A9, fell flat. What happened? If you decide that you’re going to do only the things you know are going to work, you’re going to leave a lot of opportunity on the table. Companies are rarely criticized for the things that they failed to try. But they are, many times, criticized for things they tried and failed at.

+ NYSE offers plan for instant market data (via AP)

+ The Biggest Searchable Jewish Library Online (via Charles Knight’s Alt Search Engines)
+++ Direct to Hebrew Books Online (Free Access) to Search, Read, Download (PDF)
Over 15,000 items. This site has been online for several months and continues to grow.

+ The Yahoo Family Tree (via Portfolio)

After Microsoft’s hostile bid, a look back at David Filo and Jerry Yang’s shopping spree.

+ Adobe to Launch Acrobat Online (via Red Herring)

by Lonsdale, Ray and Armstrong, Chris (2008)

Abstract: The market for e-books has taken off, particularly in the world of education. Aggregators provide easy access to large collections of titles from many publishers through a single interface. The article is a comparative review of ten aggregators with collections available in the UK,
and points to emerging trends.

Source: Library & Information Update 7(4):pp. 28-33.

The Primary Research Group just released a new report on the use of E-books in libraries. The full text report is fee-based but several highlights/stats are available at no charge.
(more…)

+ Dow Jones Buys Generate (via Info Today)

+ eBooks: ProQuest Introduces Safari Select for Public Libraries

+ Yahoo Allows Users To Expand/Narrow Results On Map With New Visual Tool (via SEL)