Friday, October 22, 2010

Which e-reader is best?

A thoughtful post on the Craig Mod blog asks some questions that librarians might consider when checking e-readers for purchase. Of course this is written from the point of view of designers of text and graphics for online reading, but as consumers of that text, librarians have a stake in how well they are designed. Accessibility is one important question about e-readers. As more and more library material shifts online, we have to remember those users who have difficulty with standard formats. It's all too easy to forget them in the excitement over new products. And because most young people have sharp eyes that can read text difficult for many adults, we sometimes forget that other youngsters have visual limitations that make the size of the text and the ease of changing size important topics. There are so many parameters to consider in buying e-readers that it is useful to draw up standards. It's not just the content--the books available--or the graphics that matter. The ease of use and portability are important issues. Designers and artists have a lot to tell us about the way the users see test and what can be done to make the experience of reading on a screen more comfortable for everyone.

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