School Days, EducationNews.org
If you’re a student, stand-alone e-readers are vital for campus survival, writes Michael Calore at Wired.com.
However, they can be pricey, and they won’t eliminate your need for a laptop.
But, Calore says, the initial cost leads to long term advantages.
“Hardware e-readers give you the ability to rent or borrow digital versions of your textbooks, and in cases where you have to buy an e-book, digital titles are usually cheaper than the hard copies. They’re also more interactive, letting you highlight the study points, take notes and share them, and click hyperlinks to go deeper into a topic. Also, the convenience of reading everything on one lightweight device instead of lugging a backpack stuffed with books can’t be ignored.”
But the popularity of the e-reader has also led to mass e-textbook piracy.
Nearly three years after publishers shut down a large Web site devoted to illegally trading e-textbooks, a copycat site has sprung up—with its leaders arguing that it is operating overseas in a way that will be more difficult to stop, writes Jeff Young at the Chronicle.
LibraryPirate calls on students to make digital scans of their printed textbooks and post them to the site for free online. The site now boasts over 1,700 textbooks available.
“Steps will certainly be taken,” said Edward McCoyd, director of digital policy for the Association of American Publishers. “I’m sure publishers will seek to do something about this site.”
The founder of LibraryPirate has said that he hopes that a groundswell of textbook piracy will force publishers to bring down the prices of e-textbooks, which he sees as unfairly high.
“I want to bring about permanent changes to the textbook industry,” he said. “The exorbitant price of a textbook shouldn’t hinder students’ ability to do well in a class,” he added.
“I believe there is a moral objective at play here.”
McCoyd has said that the LibraryPirate is an example of why new legislation is needed to help protect publishers. Specifically, he is keen for the pushing forward of the Protect IP Act (S 968), which awaits consideration of the full Senate.
Meanwhile, other Web sites trading e-textbooks have sprung up as well, and Mr. McCoyd said the amount of textbook piracy “continues to increase.” Just as publishers get one pirated textbook file removed, another version pops up elsewhere. “It’s still a game of Whac-a-Mole,” he said.
Used with the permission of EducationNews.org
