I do not often blog on what randomly shows up in my email, but this is a link from Gateway's 1:1 service that is called VitalSource Bookshelf. I downloaded the free app and searched for economics texts and was disappointed that their aren't more university level texts available. Consider the Tablet PC student with all their notes on and inside the Tablet PC and they still have to carry their books. I use Parkin Economics in my online classes and Addison Wesley allows a link via my econ lab to the full version, but the student has to be online and have a lot of patience to use it. VitalSource offers to put the full copy (under digital rights management) on the student's tablet. How cool is that? Anyone know of other companies offering this? VitalSource boasts of sales partners including Gateway, Lenova and Apple and an impressive list of publisher clients.
Online Economics Textbooks
It is worth noting the list of Online Economics Textbooks and Classic Works at Oswego, some of which can be downloaded into the Tablet PC. Other links, repec, econlib, businessbookmall, EconPapers, and another link at RFE.
VitalSource's Bookshelf is, indeed, a unique application. So much so that it has drawn the attention of computer manufacturers, publishers, colleges and even school districts. NYU's School of Dentistry purchased a version of the Bookshelf featuring several of the textbooks required on the curriculum. By the way, VitalSource has just announced that one billion books have been distributed in its VitalBook format. Perhaps this is a sign that Academia is beginning to embrace digital books as viable and valuable learning tools.
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