eBooks, Nooks, Kindles and Alexandria — Connecting It All
If your library isn't an eBook provider / eBook reader lender yet, you may soon find yourself joining the many libraries that are incorporating them into their collections. Of course, there are several different types of eBook readers and many sources of eBooks. As you make your decisions as to eBooks sources and how you want to support eBook reading, this will also influence your choice of eBooks and, possibly, eBook readers.
Using the look-before-you leap philosophy, research all the eReader devices available to you to decide what option or options best suits your library. You might want to consider small things such as if you subscribe to a digital distributor of eBooks like OverDrive, should you allow a patron to download eBooks if they have other overdue items? If not, what do you need to do to prevent them from doing so?
One great resource on the Internet that you will want to consult is http://edukindle.ning.com/. Not only will you want to look at the various Forums, but look also at Links under Resources.
The instructions in this article will show you how to use Alexandria to: 1) set up an eReader User Agreement; 2) catalog an eBook Kindle and, 3) catalog eBook titles that have been downloaded to a Kindle. Of course, you will have to adapt the instructions to fit other types of eReaders that you may purchase and their permissions / restrictions. For instance, Amazon allows you to install a purchased eBook title on up to six Kindles.
Let's look at how to best use Alexandria to address various issues associated with eBooks and eBook readers:
eBook Reader User Agreement
Using the website sources above, you will be able to locate several examples of user agreements. Some of the elements that you will want to address in the user agreement for the student are: treatment of the device, sharing the device with other students, caution against leaving the device unsupervised, and, lastly, downloading, purchase of eBooks, and/or changing the content loaded on the device. For the parents, you will want to include a statement of responsibility ensuring proper treatment / use of the device, ensuring safe and timely return, and financial responsibility for damage or loss.
How does Alexandria help with this task? First, there's COMPedit, our own built-in word processor. Click on File on the menu bar and select New Document. Simply type away and, when you're finished, select Print to PDF from the File drop-down menu.
Alexandria can help even further if you can get to your Alexandria Support folder. If you are on Alexandria Controller, you may have to enlist the help of the system administrator to assist. Just put your user agreement document in the Link Menu folder. Now, whenever you need the document, click on Link on the Alexandria menu bar and select your user agreement and it will pop right up so you can print a copy.
Identifying Patrons with an Agreement
You will want to identify those patrons who have a signed eBook reader user agreement on file in a manner that allows you to easily see this information. The easiest method by far is to put this in a field that shows up automatically in the Current Patron pane of the Circulation window when the patron is the current patron. If you are not using the Second Location field, this is the perfect place for recording this information. Since the information is in a field by itself, you can run a report on all patrons with ERA (eBook Reader Agreement) in the Second Location field to find out who has ERAs on file.
If you are using this field for something else, you can always add this information after the current Homeroom or Second Location — just separate it with a slash or hyphen. For instance, if the homeroom teacher or second location designation was Jones and you want to indicate that an eBook reader agreement is on file, my entry in the selected field of the patron record would be Jones - ERA or ERA - Jones. If I want to be able to print a list of those students who have agreements on file, I would enter that element first.
Cataloging eBook Readers
Of course, there are the initial steps of registering your Kindle with Amazon and downloading your titles. Amazon recommends that lending libraries de-register the account after you have downloaded the titles and leave the Kindle in the de-registered state until you are ready to purchase / download more titles to that Kindle.
Add a policy for Kindles that is separate from your equipment policy because the cost, checkout privileges, transaction period are all probably unique from other equipment. In addition, having them on a separate policy will allow you to accumulate statistical data on just the Kindle circulation in your library.
You will need to determine how detailed you want the record to be for this type of equipment. For instance, is it really necessary to have Kindle Serial # as a title or would Kindle Group 1 (since you can download the same eBook title on up to 6 Kindles) be sufficient if you record the Make, Model, Serial Number and District number on the Copy Notes tab for the individual piece of equipment? This method would prevent "catalog clutter" and still give you all the information -- and you usually only need the make, model and serial number if the equipment is missing/damaged. In a central union situation, each school's Kindles could be cataloged using the number or school abbreviation after the equipment title (e.g. Kindles Group 1 - 412 or Kindles Group 1 - BHS) which keeps all the items of that type for that school together and separate from another school's equipment.
Use the Copy Number as part of the call number to make inventory easier. For example KRG1-1 for the first Kindle in group 1, KRG1-2 for the second, etc. The Kindles may be shelved in call number order making it easy to see which one(s) are missing or out. (HINT: If you do not have a portable device or wireless scanner for doing inventory, have a sheet with the barcodes for the Kindles on it, note which one(s) are missing at inventory, then scan the barcodes of the ones on the shelf.)
Consider whether or not Copy Alert Notes would be helpful with this particular type of equipment. For instance, a Copy Alert Note could contain a list of things that should be returned as part of the "item" as well as reminders to the person checking the eBook reader in or out.
For instance, you might want a Copy Alert Note that says:
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When checking a Kindle out, please verify that:
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The patron has an ERA on file.
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All pieces of the item are present.
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Item works.
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No content is missing and no unauthorized items have been added.
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When checking the Kindle in, please verify that:
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All pieces of the item are returned
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Item works.
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Item is not damaged.
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Nothing has been added or deleted.
Now, for the actual cataloging. I would have an item title that represents a group of Kindles that all have the same items loaded on them.
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Go to Show on the menu bar and select Items.
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Click on the Action menu (gear) icon at the bottom of the left pane of the window and select New Item (Manually).
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Enter the Title (Kindle Reader Group 1)
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Enter the Call Number for the item. For instance, you might want it to be KRG 1 (KRG standing for Kindle Reader Group)
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Select the Policy that you established to use with your Kindles.
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Click on the Notes tab and then click in the Content Notes area. Enter each title loaded on the Kindle separated by a - - .
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Click on Save in the upper-right corner of the window.
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When asked if you want to add a copy, click on Yes.
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Adjust Barcode if you do not want to use the one provided by Alexandria.
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Add the copy number as part of the Copy Call Number. For instance, KRG 1-1, KRG 1-2, etc.
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Click on the Copy Notes tab and enter your alert note text in the Alert Notes field.
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Click on Save in the upper-right corner of the window.
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To duplicate this copy, click on the Action menu (gear) icon at the bottom of the left corner and select Duplicate.
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Make certain that Duplicate Copy and NOT Duplicate Title is selected.
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Check that the beginning barcode is what you want it to be. Enter the remaining number of Kindles to add to this record. In this case, 5.
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Check the box for Copy the notes and alerts?
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Click on OK or press .
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Click on OK when the message appears telling you that the specified number of copies has been added.
Cataloging eBook Titles
Use Add Title Assistant just as you would for a print title. If you find the title and the medium is not electronic resource or downloadable eBook, remember that you can change the medium and add any notes that you need to make the record perfect for your eBook item.
Once you have found the record you want using Add Title Assistant, highlight it and click on Save. Next, use a call number configuration that easily identifies the title as one that is on a Kindle. For instance, if you were cataloging the Amazonia by James Rollins, you might use the prefix KIN to designate an eBook title installed on a Kindle, then complete the call number as if you were cataloging a print item (i.e. KIN FIC ROL).
Next, select the appropriate policy using the drop-down menu. Notice that there is an eBook policy already established. Just make sure that the policy settings reflect how you need the policy to work -- especially, make certain that the Transaction Period is set to No Loan Period and, on the Holds tab, the option, Hold requests for these items are allowed is NOT checked. Change the medium on the Publications tab, if necessary.
In order to have an easy link to the Kindle group on which the eBook title has been installed, I will use the title of the Kindle group as a subject heading.
To add this information as a subject heading:
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Click on the Subjects tab for the eBook title.
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Click on the Add (+) icon at the bottom of the Item Record pane.
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From the list that appears, select an appropriate subject heading tag. I will use the 650 tag and enter Kindle Group 1 since this is the item title for the Kindles on which this title is installed.
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Click on Save.
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When asked if you want to add a copy, click on Yes.
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Save the "copy." Even though this title has no physical items to which to attach the barcode, we will use the barcode to gather statistics for the title.
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Click Save again.
You will want to run a barcode label report for those items with the medium of eBook.
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Go to Tools on the menu bar and select Reports.
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Click on the Copies tab, and then click on the Labels subtab.
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Click on the Add (+) icon in the bottom-left corner of the window.
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Set the window as shown below. Note that the Sort By option is Title, which should make it easy to locate the title of the eBook.
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Click Print. Then, go to File on the menu bar and select Print to make a hard copy.
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Keep the hard copy at your Circulation desk where it is readily accessible.
NOTE: you might want to save this report and make it a Favorite report so that you don't have to remember how you set up this report the next time you add more eBook titles.
eBooks, the Researcher, and Holds
Because you have an item record for each eBook title, students will be able to search for the title. Remember when we added the subject heading that indicated the Kindle group on which the title was installed?
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In Researcher, patrons should log in.
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Search for desired subject or title.
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If the item desired is an eBook, click on the title.
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Look under subjects and click on the subject heading for the Kindle "group." This will cause that Kindle record to open and the patron can now click on Place Hold to place a hold on one of the Kindles under that Kindle group title.
Circulating the eBooks and eBook Readers
Checking out the Kindle is just the same as checking out any circulating item. You will want to make certain to check that you look at the Current Patron pane for that patron carefully to ascertain that the user agreement has been returned and is on file. You will want to check that it works and that any and all pieces are there. Remember, these steps are probably things that you put into the Alert not to remind yourself or any library staff or substitute of the procedures that you want followed when this type of equipment is checked out. However, there are probably some non-Alexandria steps that you may wish to have in this process. For instance, deactivating the Amazon registration to keep your Amazon account from being used by the patron.
One last thing that I would do is to make certain that I get a usage statistic for the eBook title for which the patron is checking out the device. Remember that barcode label report you ran? Now is when we use that report.
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Type Y and press .
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Ask the student which title on the Kindle that they wanted to read.
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Scan the barcode for that title. This puts a usage statistic on that title on your eBook barcode report page.
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Type a period (.) and press to exit the Statistic mode.
Checking In the eBook Reader
Checking in the reader is just as simple as checking in any other item. Just enter Bookdrop mode and scan its barcode. Of course the alert note that you made when the item was cataloged will open to remind you of the Check Out and Bookdrop procedures that you want followed. Again, you will probably want to check for such things as whether or not it works, that all pieces have been returned, and that nothing has been added or deleted. Whether or not you reactivate your Amazon account at this time may be another step you will want to take when the item is returned.
