By Nicole Smith
Special to The Free Press
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Amber Sternitzke has read 12 books so far this summer.
The Minnesota State University student isn’t checking them out from the library or borrowing them from friends, though. She’s reading them from her virtual bookshelf, with the e-reader she purchased when school got out in the spring.
“It’s so convenient,” Sternitzke said, adding that the Barnes & Noble Nook she purchased has been a great investment. “I can carry it in my purse, and if I finish a book, I don’t have to worry about lugging around another one.”
Lightweight and durable, the slim device can hold an astounding 1,000-plus books, but it only takes up the space of one. With e-ink technology and no backlight, the screen is like a page of a book; it’s easy on the eyes, and it can be read in bright sunlight without any glare.
E-readers have been tested at various colleges, and in the fall, universities around the country are set to incorporate Apple iPads into the classroom through pilot programs.
Right now, the number of textbooks available in electronic format is limited by the publisher’s discretion and, for local college students, will vary depending on what books their professors choose for their curriculum.
MSU librarian Barb Bergman says the college library is starting to purchase e-books, although she says she is not sure when or how the university plans to make these available to students.
“It’s an area that’s developing and we will see where it goes,” Bergman said. “But like all technologies, it’s going to shift and change.”
Holding a sleek screen and flipping the page with the press of a button or the swipe of a finger is a different reading experience than classic paperback, but it seems more and more people are picking up on the trend. Amazon recently announced that its e-book sales (for its e-reader, the Kindle) surpassed hardcover book sales.
Although paperback sales still reign supreme by a large margin, Amazon recently dropped the Kindle price from $259 to $189, making it more affordable for people to get in on the e-reader experience. With applications for phones and computers, e-books can be read from just about any electronic device, allowing you to mark pages, search the text and add notes.
Sternitzke had played around with her friend’s Kindle before, but after browsing at Nooks in Barnes & Noble, says she prefers the bookstore’s version because of its screen and functions.
The convenience may be an attracting point, but these devices offer something that keeps people wanting to read electronically and willing to spend the upfront costs: instant gratification. Using free 3G service or WiFi capabilities (depending on the model), Nooks and Kindles can deliver millions of books to the devices instantly. With e-readers and the simplicity of making the purchase online using just the device, there is no wait time and no book is ever out of stock.
“I’m not patient, so if I want something, I want it right now,” said Reid Charpentier, the Mankato Barnes & Noble Bookstore manager. “The books are never out of stock. A lot of people come in here on Tuesday and look for a book for a paper that’s due on Friday. But with a Nook, you don’t even have to come in; you can just be in your pajamas at home, and you can get the book right away and do your thing.”
MSU student and Apple campus representative Jordan Gilgenbach prefers the iPad’s many available e-reader applications to the competitors of the full-color touch screen device.
“Essentially it’s like getting three e-readers in one device,” said Gligenbach of the $500 device that can act as an e-reader with the right applications. With the iPad, users have the ability to download the Amazon and Barnes & Noble applications, in addition to the Apple iBook app, making it easy to shop around for the largest selection and best deals.
Sternitzke has always been a summer reader, but says she finds herself reading more often than usual now that she has her Nook.
“I have found that I have read more of the older selections because you can download them for free, but I have bought quite a few as well,” she said.
Right now, the 22-year-old is reading a few books, one of them “Of Mice and Men,” a classic choice that she says she probably wouldn’t have picked up off a shelf and purchased. But with her e-reader, Sternitzke can switch to “Crank,” a modern memoir she’s also reading, with just the touch of a button.
