Charlotte Porter, Avenue contributing writer
In an age of smart phones and motion-controlled consoles, it might not be long before the use of 15-pound textbooks become obsolete.
Michele Crump, the emerging technologies librarian at the University of Florida, is researching ways UF's libraries can make the use of electronic readers available to students. She has been testing a Sony Reader Digital Book and is awaiting the arrival of the latest generation Amazon Kindle.
Libraries at other schools, such as North Carolina State University, have electronic readers available for student use.
Crump said electronic readers were the wave of the future, and "we just need to move there as fast as we can."
Using the technology students can download content onto the reader as opposed to printing it out. In terms of sustainability, moving away from paper should be a goal, she said.
Since Crump has just started testing the readers, UF has no concrete plans as to which device will be purchased or how they will be used in the libraries.
However, Amazon.com Inc. has made steps to lure students into using its newest edition to the Kindle product line - the Kindle DX .
The Kindle DX, which is designed with textbooks and newspapers in mind, was unveiled in early May and is scheduled to begin shipping this summer with a $489 price tag.
The device will be tested by five universities during the fall semester, according to Amazon's Web site.
Crump said using the Kindle DX for textbooks is a great idea, but that it may cause complications for publishers.
"They need to set up a new pricing model to get the same profits," she said.
Marcus Keyes, a trade coordinator for the University of Florida Bookstore, said the Kindle DX could affect the bookstore if it became widespread among students.
"I would expect to see people in here less during the rush period," he said.
David Small, a UF lecturer in the department of computer and information science and engineering, uses textbooks in his courses and said that devices like the Kindle DX could be an inviting prospect for textbook publishers, since publishers think the used textbook market hurts their business.
By using an electronic reader publishers can charge for content without incurring the costs of printing books. The arrangement could also work in favor of students.
Small said that most of his students prefer to read information off of a computer screen rather than paper.
He was concerned, though, about theft issues, battery life and breaking the Kindle DX.
"Think of how many students you know who have dumped their cell phone in a pool," he said.
Paul Marks, a computer engineering major, has seen the previous version of the Kindle. Textbooks often take a beating by students, he said, and he didn't know how durable the Kindle DX was. He added that it seemed unnecessary to produce a new version just to implement a larger screen and a few more features.
However, if given a choice between traditional textbooks and a Kindle DX, Marks said he would choose the Kindle. He liked the ability to store multitude books in a lightweight device.
"It would be a much better reference than a shelf of books," Marks said.
Robert Beck, a microbiology major, also wondered about the Kindle DX's sturdiness. He said he would be frightened of using something so thin - the Kindle DX is about 1/3 of an inch thick.
"It looks like it would break if you put any pressure on it," he said.
However, the availability of textbooks on electronic readers could have a positive side effect, according to Beck.
"It might make the cost of textbooks go down," he said, "And that's all right with me."
