Life cycle analysis comparison between textbooks and e-books in Philippine public schools

BACKGROUND@#Early studies show e-reading to be better in some impact assessment indicators. However, newer studies on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices shows various role of user behavior, device properties, and media properties in calculated environmental impacts. There is a need to study scenarios of media use such as printed media and its digitized forms to determine use scenarios that would minimize environmental impacts.@*OBJECTIVES@#The objectives of the study are the following: to model the life cycle from cradle to use phase of reading one textbook in both print and e-book format and to compare the impact of reading textbooks in print with impact of reading textbooks in E-book format.@*METHODS@#A functional unit of 280-page textbook read in 1 year was the basis for modelling life cycle from cradle to use phase of both print and e-book formats of a textbook. Processes related to paper production, printing and manufacture are based on United States Life Cycle Inventory Database. Processes related to E-book reading are taken from the Life Cycle Analysis of Sony Z5 mobile Phone. Normalized outputs on impact assessments were compared using Tools for Reduction and Assessment of Chemicals and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI 2.1).@*RESULTS@#Use of Mobile Phone to read e-books is better in 4 out of 7 impact categories (Acidification Potential, Human Health-Cancer, Human Health – non-Cancer and Ozone Depletion) than reading using traditional textbooks. Reading traditional books is better in 2 out of 7 impact categories (Eutrophication and Freshwater Ecotoxicity). Global warming potential has comparable values between reading in print and in soft copy. @*CONCLUSION@#Depending on impact assessment of concern, either reading using mobile phone or thru printed textbook would give a better impact. It is also suggested to create hybrid activities that could model scenarios using both printed and soft copies of textbooks.

La autopublicación, un nuevo paradigma en la creación digital del libro / Self-publishing, a new paradigm in digital book creation

Se entiende por autopublicación la publicación de un libro o cualquier otro documento por parte del autor de la obra sin la intervención de un tercero o de un editor. Por tanto, el autor es responsable del control de todo el proceso, incluyendo el diseño (cubierta/interior), formatos, precio, distribución, marketing y relaciones públicas. Los autores pueden hacerlo todo o subcontratar la totalidad o parte del proceso con empresas que ofrecen estos servicios. El objetivo del trabajo consiste en el estudio del fenómeno de la autopublicación en el nuevo contexto digital, haciendo un análisis de las ventajas e inconvenientes de los sistemas de autopublicación. Asimismo, se proporcionan datos de la autopublicación en el mundo y se recogen los principales agentes en este mercado, que se aleja del tradicional "Vanity Publisher", para concurrir directamente en el mercado editorial en igualdad de condiciones que las establecidas para los circuitos convencionales.

Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the intervention of a third party established or publisher. The author is responsible for controlling the whole process, including design (covered indoor), formats, pricing, distribution, marketing and public relations. Authors can do it all themselves or outsource all or part of the process in companies that offer these services. The aim of this paper is analyze the phenomenon of self-publishing in the new digital environment. An analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing systems, data are provided in the publishing world and reflects the main players in this market remains a vanity press to attend directly in the publishing market with unprecedented bestsellers.

O bibliotecário e a leitura conectada: competência informacional digital na era dos e-books, e-readers e tablets / The librarian and the connected reading: digital information literacy in the age of e-books, e-readers and tablets

Na sociedade contemporânea, mudanças significativas estão ocorrendo no cenário tecnológico e neste livro a atenção está focada aos suportes informacionais que gradativamente estão se estabelecendo no mercado, tratam-se dos e-books (livros eletrônicos), e-readers (leitores eletrônicos portáteis) e tablets. O mercado está repleto de opções de acordo com gostos e necessidades, portanto o intuito é o de motivar o profissional bibliotecário a refletir seu papel e de como a competência informacional influencia neste processo de inclusão destas novas tecnologias de informação no ambiente das bibliotecas e desta forma, se adequar a uma sociedade cada vez mais digital. Sabendo que a tecnologia está cada vez mais presente no ambiente das bibliotecas, torna-se importante refletir sobre o que ela significa no contexto da gestão informacional dos profissionais bibliotecários e como apresentar o paradigma das ferramentas nas bibliotecas, em especial os e-books, e-readers e tablets, e consequentemente a importância de competências para um novo perfil deste profissional como facilitador ao acesso a estes novos recursos informacionais...(AU)