Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009
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USU Press offering online versions of some textbooks By JARED PRICE staff writer
The Utah State University Press is now offering e-books for sale on its Web site. This is part of an effort by the press to adjust to a changing market. Michael Spooner, director of the Utah State University Press, said, “The world of publishing is moving in digital directions and so it’s pretty natural for university publishers, like all other publishers, to move in that direction. The idea is to have the same content on a number of different platforms.” E-books are not replacing hard copies but offering another format for customers to choose in order to acquire the content. Spooner said, “What publishers are trying to do these days is to deliver the same content in a number of different formats. We’re selling the same stuff but with a smorgasbord, a menu of different possibilities.” The press is utilizing a program called Adobe Digital Editions to share the e-books. Digital editions are similar to Adobe Acrobat but with some different features. “It comes in a format that has some digital rights management assigned to it so that a person can‘t just make a million copies and distribute it all over the world or put it on their own Web site or something,” Spooner said. He explained that it works similar to iTunes where readers establish user accounts and download the book to their individual devices. Spooner said the books can then be downloaded to five other authorized machines as
well. The text will also be fully searchable and has the ability to be annotated, highlighted and bookmarked. The press has been distributing ebooks for a while. Instead of focusing on individual readers in the past, the press has been catering to the scholarly market where there is a higher demand for e-books. Spooner said, “At this university press, we have been doing electronic books since 1999. They’ve been going to library vendors who have been mounting them on their Web sites and then selling a subscription to a library, say, in Mexico or somewhere where they don’t have easy access to our hard copy books. Our books have been available through those kind of vendors for 10 years.” Regarding the current market for e-books, Spooner said, “The theory is that when you are reading just one article, that’s not so hard on the screen. It’s still new though and I think technology is going to come along.” Spooner said the technology needs to become more economical and versatile and also that the readers need to get used to reading a book-length document on the screen. He said, “Both of those are coming along. I don’t know when we’ll see a bigger market share for digital books but it’ll happen.” Blake Haddock, undeclared freshman, said he thinks paper and ink books will be forced into obscurity by e-books “not anytime soon, but eventually.” However, Taylor Christensen, freshman in political science, said he doesn’t believe electronic materials
USU PRESS OFFERS E-BOOKS to students as an alternative to some hard copy textbooks. Michael Spooner, director of USU Press, said the use of e-books is an effort to adjust to a changing world that is moving toward technological advances. TYLER LARSON photo illustration
will ever replace traditional books. “People like having the actual copy in their hand,” Christensen said. Products like the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader have spurred the book industry into a more digital realm, gradually shifting the focus from scholarly institutions to a market more geared toward personal use. E-books will cost slightly less than hard-copy books. “The thing to know about this is
that in creating a digital book the only savings that you have in production is paper and ink,” Spooner said. “You still have to deal with the manuscripts, you still have to edit, you still have to typeset, you still have to do all of the electronics on it. The only thing you are saving is what you would spend on the printer. It should be a little less expensive because you are saving something but it‘s not free. You’ll see publishers set a price for the
hard copy and then reduce it 20 percent or so for the electronic book. So, yes. There’s a savings there.” Spooner estimates the current catalog to have approximately 100 titles in electronic format. The press plans to have its entire catalog in digital form in the near future in order to adapt to the changing market climate. Spooner said, “If there is a demand for a download, it’s what we provide.” – jared.price@aggiemail.usu.edu
Arabic language, culture classes start fall 2010 By BRENDON BUTLER staff writer
The languages, philosophy and speech communication department has announced a tenure-track position in Arabic, with plans to offer Arabic language and culture courses beginning fall 2010. Maria Cordero, associate professor of Spanish and chair of the Arabic search committee, said the position will initiate an Arabic program that includes cross-discipline classes in Middle East studies open to students in diverse majors, such as political science, economics, religious studies and history. The announcement comes just as students in the political science department formed a Middle East Club last week and circulated a petition asking the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) to add more classes in Middle East studies. Rob Jepson, political science sophomore, said he will present the petition to HASS Dean Yolanda Flores Niemann and Provost Ray Coward next week. Jepson said initial interest in the student-led push has been extremely positive, with 55 students signing up for the Middle East Club in its first week and 420 students signing their name to voice interest in taking a Middle East studies class if it were offered. “Political science professors have pushed for this before, but what’s never happened is a student push,” Jepson said. Jeannie Johnson, political science instructor who advises students interested in finding government jobs in Middle Eastern affairs, said an Arabic-studies program is imperative for USU students who want government jobs in Middle Eastern affairs. The Arabic search committee’s job announcement is a welcomed first step in rebuilding a Middle East emphasis across departments, she said.
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PETE P. SMITHSUTH photo illustration
“Most all of (America’s) foreign policy is directed toward the Middle East. We ought to have a Middle East expert,” Johnson said. “Those government recruiters and any agencies who work abroad, when they come to our campus they are always shocked that we have such a
9/30/09 The College of Agriculture celebrates Ag Week.
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lack of Middle East expertise. It is a struggle for them to hire our students ... to justify it, when our students have, in some cases, zero background on the Middle East and no language training that would be even remotely relevant.” Jepson, who has an interest in the Israeli-
Junior Benjamin Schilleman led USU to a fourth-place tie in golf Monday and Tuesday. Page 9
Palestinian conflict and wants to work as a government analyst, said he’s amazed recruiters from agencies such as the CIA even take the time to visit USU. “We’re really a gracious stop on the line between BYU and University of Utah,” Jepson said. Student interest in the Middle East has been strong all semester. Davis Anderson, a political science master’s student, said he signed 60 students into his Middle East politics and government class this semester, five over the 55-student cap. The interest was all the more significant because the class was added late and wasn’t advertised in the course catalog, he said. Both the University of Utah and BYU have strong Middle Eastern studies and Arabic language departments, and USU loses potential students to their programs, Johnson said. Building a good Middle East studies program will take time, she said, but the Arabic-language professor is the first step. The next logical step, she said, would be to hire a political science or economics professor with Middle East expertise and language skills. Finally, a third professor with expertise in Middle East history and religion would form the basis of a solid Middle East studies program, she said. For now, students who want to learn more about Middle East issues can attend the USU Middle East Club. One of the first activities planned for club members is an Arabic language basics class. Safa Khouffi, senior international studies major who was born in Jerusalem, said she will teach the alphabet and easy Arabic vocabulary. The Middle East Club meets Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. in Old Main, Room 121. For more information, e-mail Rob Jepson at robmjepson@gmail.com. – butler.brendon@gmail.com
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