Before the start of this semester of university, I finally splurged and bought myself an e-book reader. There were a plethora of reasons behind the decision but my decision was made when I looked at my stack of printed readings from the one unit I was studying last semester.
With this in mind, my new investment had to be able to view .pdf files as well as standard format .epub files. It also had to be able to allow notes to be taken directly onto the files, either in handwritten format or text notes.
I ended up purchasing the new release Sony Reader Touch edition. It has a lovely clear e-ink screen and is slim and fits into the hand easily. It also frees up a lot of space in my handbag which is usually occupied by a chunky paperback.
So far, I have only really been reading an .epub novel on the reader and I am loving it. I have played around with the .pdf format documents and they are a little bit more complicated to manipulate than I had expected.
One of the best features is that I can just drag and drop files into a folder on the readers harddrive without the need to use a specific program.
The main downfall of the Sony Reader is that the File name and the Title of a .pdf document are not always the same and whilst it is very easy to change the Title of a file, the Reader displays the File name of the document that you cannot change without an extra piece of software. Now that I understand the nuances of this quirk, it is only a slight annoyance.
The other new piece of technology that I have been trying recently is audio books. I have memories of listening to audio books on long car journeys with my parents, in particular Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. Over the past few years though, I have been a little bit skeptical about the convenience of audio books for someone who doesn't go on long drives.
I invested in the complete Harry Potter series read by Stephen Fry. After a few months of listening to 15 minute snippets on my way to work and more lengthy sessions whilst doing the housework or the occasional drive to Sydney, I have finished all 7 books. And I think I may have fallen in love. Stephen Fry is fabulous and has distinctive voices for each character and he transitions between them flawlessly.
After the success of Harry Potter, I am looking forward to listening to all of Roald Dahl's books, read by famous British actors and actresses.
In conclusion, I think that my foray into new technologies (well I know audio books are not a new technology but they are new to me) has been very successful. I will be intrigued to see how these technologies are integrated into the primary school library setting.
Currently reading: The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
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