The Variety of e-Book Platforms for Textbooks on Mobile Devices

Abstract

There have been interesting technological advancements with viewing and using e-books, especially textbooks. The e-book does not just have to be the electronic version of a textbook; now users can share notes with each other, see electronically highlighted passages made by the instructor, and even take self-assessment exams at the end of a chapter. Now that the technology for integrated learning is becoming available for mobile devices, librarians should be aware of the different platforms and the features that are offered with utilizing the e-book on mobile devices. This column provides an overview of electronic textbooks, describes different types of platforms ranging from basic to integrated learning, and lastly offers some resources to stay current with emerging technologies with electronic publishing and mobile devices.

KEYWORDS:

• Apps
• Android
• Blackberry
• Books@Ovid
• e-books
• ebrary
• inkling
• iPad
• iPhone
• McGraw-Hill
• mobile devices
• Pageburst
• R2
• STAT!Ref
• textbooks

Notes

Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Column Editor: Nancy R. Glassman ([email protected]).