Panel Moderator: Mary Schwander

Jennifer O'Leary at Blair Mill Elementary School in Hatboro-Horsham School District
We began building an eBook colleciton in connection with a technology grant that was written for Smart Boards. I have continued to build the eBook collection to meet curricular needs of classroom teachers in varying grades. Our current eBook collection includes approximately 500 titles. All of our eBooks are purchased through Follett. We use FollettShelf for students and staff to check out and read eBooks. I decided to go with FollettShelf and the Follett Reader because I was looking for something Web based that our students and staff could use on multiple devices. Our needs were to have eBooks that teachers could use with a Smart board to foster student engagement in learning, as well as provide our students and families with a digital library book collection. Our students access and read eBooks on Acer tablet computers, funded through a grant with our Education Foundation, in our library. The tablets can be used as a computer for research, or as a tablet for eReading. I am hoping our next upgrade with Destiny will address a few minor issues that we have noticed on the library management side with the MARC record. (Update: Our recent Destiny upgrade has resolved this issue, and I am now able to access the MARC record.) I have had the opportunity to provide instruction to our students on eBooks, as well as training for teachers and parents. The eBooks are generating excitement and popularity among our patrons. I recently presented at a Parent Involvement night, Technology Night, and HSA meeting in both of my buildings to encourage parents to access our eBook collection from home on multiple devices. I had a positive response from our families.



Collette Jakubowicz at Spring Ridge Elementary School in Wilson School District
Nook Ereaders
Our library checks out 12 Nook Simple Touch ereaders (2 sets of 6) to 4th and 5th grade students for circulation, and 8 additional Nooks are used exclusively for literature circles. The 2011-12 school year was the pilot, and after a successful year, I expanded the program from 13 to 20 Nooks.
NooksLibguideQR.png
NooksLibguideQR.png


All my resources are on my "Nooks @ the Spring Ridge Library" LibGuide I created, and for secondary librarians, I recommend Buffy Hamilton's inspiring "Kindles at the Unquiet Library" LibGuide as a great primer on how managing Kindles and Nooks works.

The literature circle Nooks were funded by the our district's education foundation through annual $500 grants. Most of the circulating Nooks were funded by the Home School Association, and I buy Nook gift cards through our book budget to purchase ebooks.

Android Nexus tablets
Though we are not a 1:1 mobile device school or district, our district is moving rapidly towards Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education integration. Also, our library floor space is very limited, so instead of having desktops for "catalog computers," I purchased 12 Google Nexus tablets. Three are 10" tablets, and nine are 7" handheld tablets. They do NOT get checked out; they are used in library only. I LOVE THEM, and I highly recommend them to any elementary library! It is money well-spent, even if you have to dip into your books budget (like I did) to get them.
Benefits
Drawbacks
Students can use Destiny Quest anywhere in the library. No more paper call slips!
Google Play app store is still building. Steadily, but slower than the Apple iTunes store.
One account to manage all content/apps.
Managing the apps and content takes time. So does curating great apps.
Pinterest Board of Great Android Apps/
Apps can be "pushed out" to devices via the Google web account.
Wireless access may require working closely with your tech department...advocacy opportunity
LibGuides can be an app for your library website.

Bookmarks are synced across all devices!!!
  • Use to bookmark ebook collections, useful websites, online games, etc.

Some apps are great for library learning and inquiry, and can be used even on a fixed schedule.


Ebooks
Our library department has EBSCO ebooks via POWER Library of course, and the elementary libraries also have "device-neutral" ebooks through Capstone Interactive Ebooks. We LOVE them, especially since they are unlimited, simultaneous users! "Device-neutral" means any device (i.e. laptop, iPad, iPod touch, Android tablet, Blackberry, smartphone, etc.) can be used to access the ebooks. Any number of students from our school can access, read, and listen to the interactive ebooks at any time.

A Wrinkle in Tech - My blog about ebooks and other educational tech. I also get most of my ereader/ebook news from The Digital Reader. It's a solid source of inside information on the world of ebooks and ereaders, and the author is a stanch supporter of libraries.

My 2013 PowerPoint presentation with links!
My 2014 Google Presentation

Patty McClune - As our notion of collection evolves we are embracing a variety of eBook options. Below you will find an overview of what we've been doing related to eBooks at Conestoga Valley HS in Lancaster County.

2010 - Our HS Library added 18 Kindles to the collection. They are pre-loaded with titles and we continue to add to the them. Kindles circulate for 2 weeks and are very popular. It's been great to include our "One Book, One School" titles on the Kindles.We also have books from the summer reading lists on the same Kindle and lucky students may borrow the device for the summer.
Since 2010 I've posted Kindle cataloging advice on the eBook Educator's Ningand would encourage anyone interested in eBooks to join the Ning.

2011 - As more HS students came to school with their own eReaders we actively leveraged the OverDrive collection available through our local public library; holding sessions to introduce students and staff to the service. It was a bit discouraging because of the lack of YA eBook titles available. Students lost interest because of the long waiting lists for popular titles.

2012 - Wrote a grant (collaboratively with our MS Librarian) for our own MS - HS OverDrive service. We were awarded the grant to fund an OverDrive collection of high interest YA books for two years. We felt there would be a learning curve and we needed to have the service for two years before we could legitimately evaluate it. It has taken off well with the biggest surprise being the interest in apps. More students are interested in reading on iPhones, iPads and iPods than I would have believed. Students who have taken part are so excited and we hear comments like, "Now I'll always have a book in my pocket!" Seriously, I was expecting the most interest from Nook and Kindle owners; the smart phones were a happy surprise. My students have better eyes than I do! :)

2013 - The HS went 1:1 and students can also read eBooks in their browsers. Reading support teachers have worked with the library so all students leave reading an eBook. Also all district libraries set up MackinVIA accounts. We haven't purchased books (but got the initial free collection). We're investigation that as a platform for instructional eBooks....and would only purchase multi-user books in lieu of class sets of books. OverDrive would be for mainly pleasure reading and Gale for research.
Also 2013 we updated our Destiny catalog to be RDA compliant and converted all eBook records to RDA. I love how it looks. Now rather than "electronic resource" the eBooks are called.....wait for it....."eBooks"! Much more student friendly!

March 2014 - Our IU just announced they will provide OverDrive access for all participating schools! Now all our elementary schools will have access to OverDrive too. We will retain the content we purchased and our patrons will also be able to borrow from the pool of titles purchased by the IU. This is awesome news and perfect timing for our district!

We continue to actively promote OverDrive through announcements, our Destiny homepage and our HS Library Facebook page that includes a direct Woobox button to OverDrive.

Like many libraries, we began our foray into the world of eBooks years ago with Gale reference eBooks. Those continue to be critical for research. Students can also access those eBooks with an app, or more traditionally, through the Gale Virtual Reference Library.

In addition we have Follett titles available on the Follett Shelf. Though truth be told, that's always been a bit clunky for us to use. Perhaps Follett 12 will address some of the issues but that's almost a moot point. It's difficult to direct students to myriad eBook platforms. It seems we'll be OverDrive users at CV.

Randi Wall -- Cheltenham HS Library (Montgomery County)
2012-2013 -- Added (10) Nooks to library collection (September 2012)
*Making the decision (Nook vs. Kindle)
*Working with Barnes and Noble and district business department
*Cataloging devices and eBooks
*Creating a circulation policy and CHS Agreement Form
*Purchasing eBooks
*Promoting Nook usage
Nook.JPG
Nook.JPG
Nook2.jpg
Nook2.jpg

(1) Jonathan Adler Puncutation Cover (2) Nook catalogued and barcoded w/instructions and form

Ann Schmidt - Conrad Weiser HS Library Media Center
2010-2011 our LMC was awarded a grant from our PTO and bought 8 Kindles. The Kindles are very popular with our students during the school year and our staff during the summer. The Kindles have been particularly popular for seniors who like to use them for their author study assignment in English. We have money each year from our PTO for Kindle book purchases and allows us to get books on demand for our students. We also utilize BookBubfor inexpensive or free titles. Book Bub is a free daily email that notifies you about deep discounts on acclaimed ebooks. They alert you by email to limited-time offers that become available on retailers like Amazon's Kindle store, Barnes & Noble's Nook store, Apple's iBookstore, and others.
We modeled our program after Buffy Hamiliton's Kindle program (see Collette's post for link) at the Unquiet Library. She has been gracious to share all of her information.

Sue Flanly - Maple Point Middle School (Neshaminy School District)
Our experiences with eReaders and eBooks:

2010
  • Marshall Cavendish eBooks were purchased using library funds for middle schools. These eBooks are searchable but are not accessible through Destiny Follett.
  • C&I funds purchased 8 eReaders for each secondary library both Nooks and Kindles (during the days of buy one book and share to 6 devices) to be used with Reading Olympic Teams and Special Ed students as a pilot program. Neshaminy eReader Terms of Use Nooks and Kindles are cataloged.

MARC Records for Nooks or Kindles.docx
MARC Records for Nooks or Kindles.docx

MARC Records for Nooks or Kindles.docx
Sample MARC

Sample Destiny Search

2011
  • C&I (Curriculum and Instruction Department) funded OverDrive for secondary students and all staff members. OverDrive is used to deliver mostly fiction and audio books.
  • C&I funded a pilot of 30 Nooks to be used at a middle school. Barnes & Noble manages these for us. These Nooks are used mostly by ELA teachers.

2012
  • All libraries have a Follett Shelf. Elementary schools have mostlty USA books (unlimited simultaneous access) used to support curriculum purchased with C&I funds. Elementary LMS and middle school BCIT teachers (Business) use ebooks on Internet Safety and Cyberbullying with their classes. Funds from Pupil Services provided ebooks to support parents. These are on a district shelf and can be used by all buildings.
  • We are in the process of creating District Professional Development videos and plan to store and circulated them using OverDrive.
  • The high school library budget and Special Ed funds were used to purchase a class set of 30 Nooks with a cart. These Nooks are used to meet IEPs that require that the student has an audio version of a book. Barnes and Noble manages these for us.
  • All OverDrive eBooks have MARC records.
  • The high school LMS subscribed to eBrary, an eBook library from Gale. EBrary eBooks have MARC records that make these books searchable through Destiny Follett.
  • The high school also subscribes to the Gale Virtual Reference Library. These titles are searchable in Destiny Follett.

2013 Plans
  • Considering EBSCO K-8 Collection for middle schools.
  • Adding "Mentor Texts" to Follett Shelves for elementary.
  • District is moving to a BYOD environment for September 2013.
  • Explore making our own iBooks for OverDrive.

2014 Update and Plans
  • Using the EBSCO K-8 Collection for middle schools and planning to add it for all 8 elementary schools for 2014-15.
  • Considering the Infobase Learning Middle/High Schoo eBook Collection for middle schools for 2014-15.
  • District is moving to a BYOD environment for September 2014.
  • OverDrive now has some eBooks limited to one year and others limited to 26 checkouts. We have not been interested in purchasing eBooks limited to one year.
  • Follett Shelf now has eBooks that have "12 month access." Surprizingly the eBook format can cost $2.50 more that the hardback version that would most like survive longer than a year.
  • Please realize that these prices and conditions are set by the publisher. The "Good News" here is that we are seeing more titles available in the eBook format than we did last year and this is true at OverDrive as well as at Follett Shelf.
  • Elementary LMS now have a cart of iPads. We have added a few interactive books (apps) for students to use during library classes.
  • BookFlixs, available through the POWER Library, provides eBooks that our K-2 students access using the iPads.
  • A collection of Capstone non-fiction unlimited access eBooks were added to support research projects for 4th and 5th graders. These have worked out well and we plan to add more titles next year.
  • When BYOD becomes a reality, we hope to have afterschool workshops to help students access OverDrive eBooks using their own devices.

Charmaine Gates--Archbishop John Carroll High School/ Radnor, PA, chair, Library Services, Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Reference Books
All of our eBooks are available for download on your own device. Next year our school will be a BYOD. We currently have eBooks from Gale, Salem Press and have begun to implement Overdrive.

Gale Virtual Reference Library We began to purchase books for this platform as a Diocese in 2006. Here is a list of what we have acquired, primarily with ACT funding and for our secondary schools. This does not represent all of my collection. These titles are those that every library in the Diocese holds in common. Gale provides usage statistics, MARC records, widgets and other items to help you publicize the service.
  • Practices and comments:
    • We are continuing to purchase titles as a consortium as well as individual libraries.I have added these titles to our catalog, without call numbers currently as the link brings them directly to the "database" where the books are stored.
    • I have found that some of our students will go to the library portal and use the books directly from there, they don't make the distinction between previously published material and any other database available. My personal ambition is to replace my entire reference collection with E-books.
    • I can not tell you how happy it makes me that I no longer have to worry that the "G" volume is missing pages or that I should have six for the class as they are all looking for something that begins with the same letter :)
    • The interface also allows for differentiated instruction as there is both a translator for most articles and the ability to listen to it. There is a new feature that allows the user to download the article to an e-reader if you are using a computer. (Using the USB cable and drop and drag)
      • For I-pads, I-phones etc and android devices you can download an app called Access My School Library. This is the link to the description
        • It is easy to use, but you as Librarian (Technology Integrator) have to set it up with Gale. This is relatively painless.
    • You can, if you have libguides, you can use book covers and permanent links to this collection to give your students a place to start. Here are a couple of examples one of which I had more time to do then the other.
    • You can even use the permanent link to add it to your general portal. We do this with the New Catholic Encyclopedia as we want our students to use this one, instead of the one on the web which is an earlier version transcribedby the Knights of Columbus.
      • You can also do this if you have a project say on genetic disorders and want to start them with an encyclopedia in your e-book collection
      • Finally, if you use elibrary you can add the permanent link to your book cart as a web site if you want to have a mixed list of resources and don't have access to libguides
    • In addition, you can email portions of the books to your faculty with absolute ease. This is another thing that makes me smile as I remember the days (sometimes fondly) of hauling heavy reference books to the copier so that I can get the article on xxx to give to Mrs. Y because she wanted additional information that she couldn't find.


2011--We have added some titles through Overdrive and are slowly beginning to introduce the program, starting with the faculty.
  • Practices and comments
    • I choose Overdrive because it is in use in most public libraries
      • This way there is only one interface to learn
      • Overdrive as a program is a free app and is agnostic
      • Selection is a little less broad then I could desire
        • Early adopters often find this and the same could be said of GVRL although they are improving with each year
    • I too have found some students reluctant to read on an e-reader. I think in time this will change

General considerations
  • How do you remove an outdated version of an ebook from your collection?
    • With Gale, presently I have to let my salesman know which to remove
    • Selection policies need to make it clear that e-Books are subject to the same kind of scrutiny that print books are

  • Platforms-- How do I know which one to choose?
    • Currently there are several platforms such as ADE and Overdrive, GVRL, eBrary etc to choose from
      • Unfortunately no one platform does it all and everyone knows that a Kindle book won't run on a Nook
      • Best advice -- choose one that suits your own school's needs and try to stick to it
      • If you are an elementary librarian, Overdrive and other products such as Tumblebooksare only beginning to tap into your market
        • get a trial and see what you think, you know your patrons best

  • Cataloging
    • Just recently there have been a number of posts on the ListServ about this issue, I am going to stir the pot by wondering how RDA will affect the cataloging of e-Books ( and before anyone asks I don't know the answer).

  • Finally remember a rose is a rose is a rose....
    • whatever the format, apply the same standards in selection and cataloging that you would to a print version.
    • don't expect miracles it might take a little while to get the program in place and running like silk
    • best advice make sure that you understand all the terms that eBook publishers throw around...
      • Simultaneous users or not
      • Fee for access ( do they charge you to keep a site where your books are stored?)
      • Overdrive has several ways to buy books be careful of the one which gives you rights to lend the book for a specific number of times. After that you have to buy the access again.
      • Here is one last link to a survey about e-book use in public libraries
        • as a disclaimer this is part of the publicity for Overdrive,nevertheless the findings are interesting
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