Gadgets and Gizmos: Personal Electronics and the Library (Library Technology Reports) at Dominant Systems Book Store

We live in the age of cell phones, iPads and netbooks, where gadgets are everywhere, and many people use one at nearly every waking moment. The newest gadgets don't often come cheap, and a poor investment can be costly for an institution like a library.

In this issue of Library Technology Reports, eminent blogger and library technology expert Jason Griffey provides a comprehensive guide to the present and future of modern gadgets, and how they can fit in to any librarian's plan for a high-tech future. From e-readers to cameras and audio recorders to the iPad, Jason provides insight into what these devices can do, how much they cost, and how librarians can use them to enhance their facilities and service.

Topics Covered in this Issue Include:

Electronic Book Readers

Sony eReaders
The Kindle
The Nook
eReaders slated for future release

Personal Multimedia Devices for Capturing and Consuming

Video Capture Devices
Audio Capture Devices
Personal Scanners/ Text Capture Devices
Personal Multimedia Devices

The iPad

Chumby
The Sony Dash
Nabaztag
Maker culture and "open source" hardware

Customer Reviews & Comments
Perhaps you may not have realized it, but we are living in the midst of an ongoing information revolution, in which personal electronics or "gadgets" and "gizmos" are key components that have tremendous potential to transform societies and institutions such as libraries. In this book, which was published as an issue of Library Technology Reports (Vol. 46, No. 3), Griffey (Head of Library Information Technology, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga; author of Mobile Technology and Libraries and with Karen A. Coombs Library Blogging; columnist for American Libraries "Perpetual Beta" and the ALA TechSource blog), a well- known library technology expert, provides a guide to several "current," relatively inexpensive-- most are less than $300 and none are greater than $500--personal electronic products and how they fit into any library's plans for a high- tech future. The author examines a handful of personal electronic products in terms of their features, performance, functionalities, costs, and applications for libraries. Focusing heavily on electronic book readers or e-readers, he also includes various multimedia devices for "capturing and consuming" as well as odd or unusual technologies. Some of the categories of gadgets reviewed by Griffey include e-readers, video cameras, audio recorders, scanners, and multimedia players. The author covers many of the most popular products such as Sony e-readers, the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes & Noble Nook, the Flip, the Sony Bloggie, the Zoom H2, the iPod Touch, the Apple iPad, and more. While he mainly scrutinizes personal electronic products of significance to libraries, librarians, and their patrons, he also references pertinent software applications and Internet websites. Professional and technical in approach, but understandable to anyone who may have a basic to intermediate knowledge of personal electronic products and their applications, this publication will be of interest to librarians and others. An important, informative resource for librarians and their staffs, it is highly recommended for public, academic, and special library collections--C. A. Lajos, The Librarian's Review of Books

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