E-Books

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E-books have been around since the early 1990s but have had a slow adoption by the higher education community. While e-books allow for the inclusion of richer media, providing a more interactive experience for the reader, the format, as well as access and copyright issues, are still currently evolving. Explore this resource site—a collection of all EDUCAUSE resources related to E-Books.

Articles, Papers, and Reports

E-books: Developments and Policy Considerations, OECD, October 2012
A Study of Four Textbook Distribution Models, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, December 2011. In preparation for campus-wide e-text adoption, Daytona State College completed a two-year comparative study of four textbook distribution models: print purchase, print rental, e-text rental, and e-text rental with e-reader device.
Mobile Perspectives: On e-books E-Reading: The Transition in Higher Education EDUCAUSE Review, March/April 2011.
2011 Horizon Report, ELI/NMC, February 2011. Each year, the Horizon Report describes six areas of emerging technology that will have significant impact on higher education. This year electronic books are prominently featured in the report.
The User-Driven Purchase Giveaway Library, EDUCAUSE Review, September/October 2010.
Deploying Innovation Locally, EDUCAUSE Review, September/October 2010.
E-Textbooks: “An Interesting Ride”, EDUCAUSE Review, March/April 2010.
7 Things You Should Know About E-Readers, ELI, March 2010.
Digital Books and Your Rights: A Checklist for Readers, Electronic Frontier Foundation, February 2010
E-Books in Higher Education: Are We There Yet?, ECAR Research Bulletin, January 2010
7 Things You Should Know About E-Books, ELI, November 2006

Presentations, Podcasts, Seminars, and Videos

The Horizon Report in Action: Emerging Technologies Today and Tomorrow, EDUCAUSE Live!, March 2012. This webinar discusses mobiles, electronic books, learning analytics, and other emerging technology areas
eTexts: A Perishable Opportunity for Higher Education?, EDUCAUSE Live!, January 2012. This EDUCAUSE Live! This program addresses the strategic, business, and policy implications for institutions in light of a changing world of consumer electronics and new models for digital educational resources such as eTexts, website tutorials, and other licensed content
Digital Content in Higher Education – Practical Findings, ELI Web Seminar, March 2011 (ELI membership required) This webinar provides an overview of the digital textbook landscape as it currently exists and a glimpse into the emerging trends that will shape higher education digital content in the near future.
Dealing with the Changing World of E-Textbooks, EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, October 2010. This video from E10 examines the current trends in textbook technology with respect to delivery platform options (iPad, Kindle, etc.), software format (electronic publication versus PDF), and pedagogical implications.
Kindles in the Classroom: Theories, Practices, and Results in a Lower-Division English Course, ELI Annual Conference, January 2010. At California Lutheran University, the goal of the Kindle pilot project was to explore and identify the practices that would best optimize the Kindle's teaching/learning potential—a potential CLU recognized as promoting deeper student engagement in critical reading and writing.
E-Readers and E-Textbooks: Current Reality and Future Possibilities, EDUCAUSE Live!, August 2009. This seminar addresses the current state of e-reader devices and their functionality as platforms for the delivery of e-textbooks, as experienced by Northwest Missouri State University in its 2008–2009 pilot study.

Updated November 2012

Library Items on this Topic

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EDUCAUSE Library Items for E-Books

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The Kansas State University Human Nutrition (HN 400) Flexbook: December 15, 2011

Key Takeaways Flexbooks are "a free and open-source textbook platform " that allows users to " build and edit collaborative textbooks ." Respons…
A Cover to Cover Solution: How Open Textbooks are the Path to Textbook Affordability: September 30, 2010

This report evaluates cost-reducing options from the traditional textbook market - rentals, e-books and e-readers - and open textbooks as potential next steps to reduce the high cost of te…
Deploying Innovation Locally: October 7, 2010

© 2010 Veronica Diaz, Cindy Jennings, Kelvin Bentley, P. B. Garrett, Barron Koralesky, Christina Royal, and David Starrett. The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attrib…
A sustainable future for open textbooks? The Flat World Knowledge story: August 3, 2010

Authors John L. Hilton III and David A. Wiley discuss the concern many college students and their families have a=about the high costs of textbooks. E–books have been proposed as one potential …
The Horizon Report in Action: Deploying Innovation Locally: October 13, 2010 | A session at the EDUCAUSE 2010 Annual Conference
Wondering what's new in mobile computing, electronic books, and open content? Join members of ACTL, the Advisory Committee on Teaching and Learning, as they review the Horizon Report and e…
Horizon Report 2010: Projects in E-Books, Open Content, Mobile Learning, and Augmented Reality: July 12, 2010

This web seminar includes speakers representing six projects featured in the latest Horizon Report . In this special one-and-a-half hour ELI webinar, you’ll be taken on a tour of their work …
The Horizon Report in Action: Emerging Technologies Today and Tomorrow: April 9, 2010

While it is difficult to predict the future, it is essential to plan for it. The Horizon Report is an established planning resource, designed to catalyze discussions around emerging and arriving …
The World Is Open: Now, WE ALL LEARN with Web Technology: January 21, 2010 | A session at the ELI Annual Meeting 2010
In his book, The World is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education , Curt Bonk offers an intriguing look at 10 technology trends that he calls educational openers. When combined, th…
2010 Horizon Report and Lightning Rounds: January 19, 2010 | A session at the ELI Annual Meeting 2010
For nearly eight years, the annual Horizon Report (a joint publication of the New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative) has tracked new technologies for teaching, learning, and…
2010 Horizon Report: January 15, 2010

The annual Horizon Report is a collaborative effort between the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) and the New Media Consortium (NMC). Each year, the report identifies and describes six areas of …