This topic is a bit far from “library technology” but part of my day job at OhioLINK has been involved with research on digital textbooks. To that end, I’ve been looking at companies that sell a digital form of the printed-and-bound textbook. The sites that I’ve found are summarized below; I would appreciate comments (public or private) that list other sites that you know about so this list can be as comprehensive as possible. Also, if you happen to be researching the same area, please get in touch if you are interested in comparing notes. The list is broken down into two parts, and the companies are listed alphabetically within each part.
Page-for-Page Replications
This is the most prevalent category — those companies that offer a page-for-page replication of the paper edition of the textbook.
- Bedford Freeman Worth Publishing, BFW only
- Books On Board, multi-publisher
- CourseSmart, multi-publisher
- Digital Textbooks, multi-publisher
- iChapters, Cengage Learning only? (formerly Thompson Learning)
- Primus, McGraw-Hill only
- VitalSource, multi-publisher
- Zino Digital Textbooks, McGraw-Hill only
Enhanced Digital Editions
In addition to the text of the textbook, these enhanced editions include video, audio, simulations, pre- and post-tests, online glossaries, and/or links to supplemental materials. Part of our research is testing the extent to which these enhanced editions can improve educational outcomes. I’m aware of sites for specific textbooks, but for the purpose of this list I’m seeking out sites that aggregate the sale of many textbooks under one banner.
- Eduspace, Houghton Mifflin only
- Wiley Plus, Wiley Publishing only
If you know of other sources — for either type of digital textbooks — please get in touch with me.
4 Comments
Hi, In case your readers might be interested in potential
disruptive innovations in the textbook market, I’ve included links
to my articles on the economic case for creative commons textbooks.
Fred The Case for Creative Commons Textbooks (April 07, 2005)
http://www.cetis.ac.uk/content2/20050407015813 The Case for
Creative Commons Textbooks (September 17, 2005)
http://istpub.berkeley.edu:4201/bcc/Fall2005/opentextbook.html
Viewpoint: The Economic Case for Creative Commons Textbooks
(October 15, 2005)
http://www.campus-technology.com/article.asp?id=11891
Thanks for the links to your articles, Fred. Open access textbooks is also part of the overall strategy we’re considering, and your articles make a good case for doing that.
Dirxion is another provider of digital textbooks: http://dirxion.com/.
Dirxion’s unique solution “looks and feels” exactly like the traditional printed book, but offers readers many advantages only available in digital format — virtual sticky notes, search, customized table of contents, zoom, hot links, animation, audio and video, just to name a few!
If we are going to shift the paradigm from print to digital, why would we not also shift the paradigm from commercial to open?
Students have watched how disruptive technology changed the music industry - intellectual property in digital form takes as much effort to control as to produce. We are skeptical that the current digital textbook frenzy, if focused only on commercial providers, will lead to yet another rip-off scheme.
It’s all well and good shift the paradigm to “get with the times”, but if we enrich learning environments, increase outcomes and so on through digital textbooks but students STILL can’t afford them…well…what’s the point?
Here are the digital books we’re all about:
http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.org/statement.asp?id2=37633#mainexamples
3 Trackbacks
[...] above as well with the concept of a “textbook information
portal.” (The DLTJ post on websites for digital textbooks is/was
one preliminary piece of the portal.) Unfunded at the moment, but a
possible work item for [...]
of textbooks. Not all of the rest plant trees (that I know of), but
if you are looking for more places, I’ve started a list. [...]
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