[Web4lib] E-study, lots of texts, was Libraries that are circulating e-book readers

[Yitzchak Schaffer]

On 6/24/2010 13:06, Tim Spalding wrote:
> ...
> It will be a while before ebooks
> replicate the experience of a Greek text with an apparatus criticus
> and lots of marginalia in the center of your table, a dictionary to
> the right, a pile of secondary works above, a grammar to the left with
> your fingers holding three places in it, and a mechanical pencil in
> your mouth. :)
>

This is actually something like a use case that has me interested in a 
smaller, portable device (iPhone).  I typically study the Mishnah 
(ancient Hebrew legal text), among other things, during my two-train 
commute.  Not the ideal place, but hey, that's where I have the time.  I 
have a pocket edition, but regularly find myself wanting to consult with 
the commentaries available in the normal edition, as well as the large 
Jastrow dictionary.

As of now, I'm stuck either waiting on the other commentaries and 
dictionary, until I can sit down with them at home, at which point I 
have to study the whole section again and remember what I didn't 
understand before; or hauling around everything in e.g. a rolling 
backpack.  I've tried that; it's not so pretty, especially factoring in 
that I also study other things on my commute.

With an iPhone, I could theoretically carry all these books and more in 
PDF or image form in my pocket.  I test-drove the thing in the store a 
bit; the screen real-estate is not exactly ideal, in terms of the space 
concerns that Tim describes - see 
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=37939&st=&pgnum=178 for a 
sample page of Mishnah, with the text near the top in the middle (7 
lines), and commentaries around.  You have to flip back and forth, which 
is a bit tricky.  The iPhone 3G (original) is too slow for comfort; I 
can't remember if I tried the 3GS yet, but I imagine it's that much 
better.  Would be better size-wise on an iPad, but for one, it's that 
much harder to transport/hold in a train with NY-Penn crowds, and for 
two, I don't know if I could justify paying that much for a portable 
device without a phone or camera - which is why I ruled out the iPod Touch.

So indeed... these portable magic devices are not going to satisfy 
serious research needs, though they could have use cases.  On the other 
hand, maybe I'm wrong: http://bit.ly/9z1tGH

-- 
Yitzchak Schaffer
Systems Manager
Touro College Libraries
33 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
Tel (212) 463-0400 x5230
Fax (212) 627-3197
Email yitzchak.schaffer at tourolib.org

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