Head in the cloud(s)

I need some space. Well, sort of.

I actually have plenty of storage space on my primary computer, a circa-2007 laptop with Windows XP and a keyboard that shorted out in the great Coca-Cola Flood of 2012. (It’s probably time to take this sucker out behind the woodshed and put it out of its misery, but that’s another story.) My computer came with a measly 100 gigabytes of storage space, but I later supplemented that with a 1-terabyte external hard drive. The latter easily holds all my applications, music, photos, movies, documents — really, just about anything — and I still have about 790 gigabytes to spare.

So what’s my problem? Well, I have a tablet with a 32-gigabyte hard drive and an Android smartphone with a 2-gigabyte SD card. Obviously, most of my important files just won’t fit.

Or will they?

Enter cloud computing, or “computing resources provided on demand from remote data centers and delivered over the Internet” (Sorensen and Glassman, 2011, p. 244). With cloud apps, I can compose and store important files online and access them from any of my devices, provided I have an Internet connection. (Luckily, that seems to be about 95% of the time these days, thanks to the popularity of Wi-Fi and 4G.)

So far, I’ve gotten the most use out of the following three cloud-based apps:

1. Google Drive (with Google Docs)

Figure 1. Google Drive app for
Google Nexus 7.

While Google’s website (n.d.) might be overselling this service a bit with its slogan “Keep everything. Share anything,” Google Drive certainly is convenient. Once you sign up for your free Google account, you get 5 gigabytes of storage and the option of adding more space for about $2.50 a month. The service also includes Google Docs, a set of free Web-based applications for word processing, presentations, drawings, spreadsheets, and Web forms. Better yet, the app allows me to share files with other users — a handy feature for group projects for work or school. Basically, Google Drive has eliminated my need for the pricey Microsoft Office suite.

2. Google Music 
OK, I admit it: I’ve become a bit of a Google fangirl. What can I say? Google’s Music app is really cool. The service lets users upload up to 20,000 songs for free. My entire 47.3-gigabyte music collection — about 10,000 MP3s — is now stored in the cloud, and I can play the songs from a Web browser or the Google Music app on my tablet or phone. Now that’s a space-saver!

3. Carbonite
Carbonite is the only cloud-based application that my husband and I have actually paid for. According to Carbonite’s website (n.d.), $59 a year gets you unlimited cloud space to back up all of your important files. Although I’ve already backed up many of my files on external hard drives and mobile devices, it’s nice to know that I also have everything stored safely online, as well.

I’m sure I must be missing something, though. What are your favorite cloud apps? Are there any others I should try? Feel free to make some suggestions in the comments section of this page. I look forward to hearing from you!

References

Carbonite. (n.d.). Carbonite Home online backup. Retrieved from http://www.carbonite.com/en/v2/online-backup/pricing-plans/home

Google. (n.d.). Google Drive. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/intl/en_US/drive/start/index.html

Sorensen, K., & Glassman, N. R. (2011). From desktop to cloud: A primer on Internet-based computing for librarians. Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries, 8(3), 243-255. doi:10.1080/15424065.2011.601991

Ebrary, quite contrary

OK, maybe I was a little too hard on OverDrive last week. The app itself is easy to use and acts as a one-stop shop for library patrons. Like with other e-reader apps (e.g., Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook), you can search, download, and read books straight from your tablet. As for the gaping holes in my public library system’s offerings … well, I assume those will improve over time.

I learned this week, however, that not all e-book apps are quite so intuitive.

This week’s Burke (2009) reading inspired me to explore what Valdosta State has to offer in the way of electronic reference sources, defined as “a bit of a hybrid of periodical databases and e-books” (p. 128). After checking out this instructions page on Valdosta State’s (n.d.) website, I decided to give ProQuest’s ebrary a shot. There was just one problem, though: The instructions seemed dependent on downloading books from a desktop first, then transferring those books to a tablet and reading them in a separate e-reader app (such as Bluefire). Hoping I could avoid these extra steps, I grabbed my trusty tablet and searched the Google Play store for an ebrary app.

Aha!

I downloaded the application, then signed in using my Adobe and ebrary account IDs. After that, I was able to search the database straight from my tablet. Sweet! I thought, and clicked to download a reference book about geisha.

And then the program crashed. That’s what I get for trying to cut corners! (In retrospect, ebrary’s two-star review in the Google Play store probably should have tipped me off.)

Frustrated, I deleted the app and reinstalled it. Again, I had the same problem: Every time I tried to download an e-book, the application would freeze or automatically shut down. Next, I tried to download the title through my tablet’s Web browser. Sadly, all I got was another error message.

Well, then. Maybe I should've just followed the darn instructions.

I ended up doing just that. I accessed the database on my desktop computer. From there, I downloaded the file I wanted, then transferred the e-book to my tablet via a USB cable. Finally, I loaded the book into Bluefire and was able to read it.

Was it worth all the trouble? I’m undecided. I consider myself a fairly tech-savvy person, but I’m as lazy as the next guy. I’m also confident that a typical patron could figure out how to use OverDrive pretty easily but would give up on ebrary after the first couple of error messages.  

References

Burke, J. J. (2009). Neal-Schuman library technology companion: A basic guide for library staff (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Neal-Schuman.

Valdosta State University. (n.d.). Downloading Odum Library ebooks. Retrieved from http://ww2.valdosta.edu/library/learn/ebookdownload.shtml

Checking out e-books

Well, I finally did it: I figured out how to check out an e-book from my local library.

The process that the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System (n.d.) uses is pretty simple (instructions here). First, you create an Adobe ID and then download a free Android app called OverDrive Media Console. Next, you sign in using your library card number and a special PIN that the library provided. From there, you can download books straight to OverDrive for up to 21 days. Not bad!

The system definitely isn't perfect, however.

A recent Pew Internet & American Life Project (2012) report outlines some of the major problems with e-book lending, which include friction with publishers, long wait times, and limited collections. I've already experienced some of these issues firsthand. For example, the library system has only one digital copy of Julie Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic. I decided to borrow it, but naturally, someone else had checked it out already. Oh, well, I thought. I'll just put my name on the waiting list. Unfortunately, I'm the 72nd person in line, so I guess I'll get to read it in four years or so. Hooray?

Another problem arose when I finished reading Charlaine Harris' Dead Until Dark, the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I searched the catalog for a digital copy Living Dead in Dallas, the next book in the series, but it was nowhere to be found. I then had to choose between driving to the library and checking out a physical copy or shelling out $7 to buy the Kindle version. Unsurprisingly, laziness won out and I am now the proud owner of one Sookie Stackhouse book (and it's not even the first one).

At any rate, I guess the takeaway from this little experiment is that you get what you pay for. Even so, I hope libraries are able to get the funding – and the cooperation of major publishers – to continue to build their e-book collections. Despite the drawbacks, I think e-book lending is a cool service – and one I plan to use quite a bit.

References

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System. (n.d.). Welcome to the next generation of your library's digital collection. Retrieved from http://afpls.lib.overdrive.com/61043988-2BA7-46D1-A3CB-45B4774C4179/10/50/en/NextGen.htm

The Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project. (2012, June 22). Libraries, patrons, and e-books. Retrieved from http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2012/06/22/part-1-an-introduction-to-the-issues-surrounding-libraries-and-e-books/

Tablets, tablets everywhere

The Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project (2012) recently found that a quarter of adults in the U.S. own tablets, up dramatically from 4% in 2010.

I guess tablets are kind of a big deal these days.

Earlier this month, I decided to join the modern age and get one of these devices. I opted for the affordable Google Nexus 7 – which starts at about $200 for a 16-gigabyte model – instead of Apple's pricier iPad or iPad Mini.

But now that I have this thing, what can I do with it? And perhaps more importantly, how can libraries reach out to their tech-savvy patrons who want to use their tablets for just about everything?

That's what I plan to explore over the next few months in this blog. I will be taking a look at the programs and apps that promise to deliver e-books, research materials, news, and more straight to patrons' mobile devices (and seeing if these programs actually follow through on those promises). I also will examine other devices used in libraries, such as desktop and laptop computers.

References

The Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project. (2012, October 4). 25% of American adults own tablet computers. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2012/PIP_TabletOwnership_August2012.pdf