Research Guides: e-books and Audiobooks: e-readers

e-readers in the News

In the News

Calibre: e-book Manager and format converter

Calibre

Have an e-book but can't read it on your e-reader?

Calibre
Calibre is a free e-book format converter. It allows you to organize, reformat, and manage your e-book collection on your computer. Note: Calibre does not remove DRM protection from e-books.

eReaders at Madison College Library - Truax Campus

Did you know that the Madison College Library at Truax campus has e-readers available for student use?

We have: iPads, Kindle Fires, Samsung Tablets, and Nooks

Many have popular, pre-loaded e-books! Click here to learn more!

Applications and Apps

There are many sources of e-books and many e-devices on which to read them. However, some e-book sources don't interface with some e-readers. Therefore, many apps and software have been developed to help e-book sources and e-readers communicate. Here is a partial list:

Adobe Digital Editions
Adobe® Digital Editions software allows you to download and purchase digital content, which can be read both online and offline. Transfer copy-protected (DRM) e-books from your personal computer/laptop to other computers or devices. ADE also supports industry-standard eBook formats, including PDF and EPUB. NOTES: (1) This software is required to read public library books and some JHU e-books. (2) On iDevices, ADE and BlueFire *must* use the same Adobe ID.
Adobe PDF Reader
Adobe Reader software is the global standard for electronic document sharing. It is the only PDF file viewer that can open and interact with all PDF documents
Bluefire Reader App for iPhone
Bluefire Reader is a free app available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app allows you to view DRM PDFS and epub formats. NOTE: On iDevices, BlueFire and Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) *must* use the same Adobe ID.
Calibre
Calibre is free downloadable software that will sync to your e-device and convert, organize, and generally help you to manage your e-book collection. It allows you to convert e-book formats to read on different e-reader devices.
Kindle for PC
Read Kindle Books on Your Computer. Get Amazon's proprietary Kindle software for FREE on your PC. No Kindle required
Nook for iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, Mac, Blackberry
The Barnes and Noble app for Nook will make it easier to purchase and view B&N e-books on many different e-devices.

Guide to eBook formats

azw format
Amazon's proprietary DRM restricted format is used solely for Kindle e-readers.
BBeB Book
BBeB (Broad Band eBook) is the proprietary e-book format developed by Sony and Cannon. BBeB filed include the following extensions: LRF, LRS, LRX. However, in 2010 Sony switched to epub as the default format for their e-book store.
epub
An open e-book standard created by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). Features reflowable text, inline images, and supports DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected e-books, similiar to ADE (Adobe Digital Editions)
mobi
A format primarily designed for PDAs and smart phones. Allows access to DRM and non-DRM content. Epub format can also be converted easily into mobi format.
PDF
PDF, or Portable Document format, was created in the early 90s as a document sharing format. It is best for highly formatted content, images, and has the ability to support DRM (Digital Rights Management) content.