Ebooks

 Ebooks are a growing field. Each year, more and more books come out electronically. Some books are only released electronically, or are released electronically first and then become a print volume, thus falling into the "extribuli" category. There are now publishers that cater specifically and exclusively to the ebook reader community. Here is one of them. This came to my attention through the NaNoWriMo blog, here. 

I've also noticed that more and more textbooks are being offered in an electronic format, but I also know that students prefer the print format. I was talking to a professor in the English department about the textbook options that are offered here on campus (books, notebook format, and electronic) and she told me that the electronic format does not sell nearly as well as the print format when both options are offered. Maybe it's because the students prefer having the print format, I haven't talked to enough people to know for sure. Most of my friends prefer having the physical book because they can write all over it and make notes in the margins.

Or maybe they like the print books so they can sell them back.

Thoughts?

My Life at Library School

This is my second semester at the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at the University of Alabama. This is actually my fourth year in college. I completed undergrad in three years, so I ended up as one of the youngest people in this program. It's actually kind of fun.

Last semester I took Organization of Information, Introduction to Library Studies, and Materials and Children's Services. Organization of Information was about how the information in a library is organized and why. Pretty self-explanatory. Introduction to Library Studies is also pretty self-explanatory. Materials and Children's Services, though, was an elective and I wasn't really sure what I was getting in to. It turned out to be a lot of fun. We reviewed a lot of books and learned a lot about how to pick literature for children.

This semester I'm taking Information Sources and Services, which is a reference class; Advanced Materials Programming for Youth, which is focusing on multiculturalism in children's and YA literature; and Information Technologies, which is the class that I have created this blog for. Advanced Materials Programming for Youth is a doctorate level course, and that class combined with the reference class means I'm going to be very, very busy this semester.

What is Extribuli?

A piece of extribulum (extribuli, plural) is a work, specifically a book, electronically published. Its origins are strictly online although it may be published in a physical for at a later date. Literally translated, it is Latin ex, out of or from, and tribulum, a machine. The term was originally coined by Sam Starbuck, aka copperbadge, in regards to the format that his novel Nameless took in that it came to life in a digital format before it ever became a physical object. For more information about Nameless, here is the order page at Lulu. 

This month there was an article in VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) about Starbuck and the process he went through with Nameless. The article can be found here (it is a PDF, so leave a comment if you have problems opening it).