Reading Library Journals on a tight budget

Reading the literature is a common way of keeping up-to-date with news within the Library and Information field. Subscribing to all the journals you would like to read is expensive and impractical. Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) journals range from $120 for the Australian Library Journal (ALJ) for 4 issues per year and $160 for INCITE for 11 issues per year. ALIA members are entitled to a discount and can also access some previous issues of library journals and e-books electronically through the ALIA website.

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ALIA subscription rates

If you want to become a member of ALIA, which entitles you to a range of benefits, it will cost you $310 a year unless you're entitled to a discounted rate. Fee rates.

A better alternative

So what's the solution? Libraries, of course! University libraries such as the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), and State Libraries such as the State Library of N.S.W. stock these types of journals. A search of their library catalogues will tell you whether they stock them in print or electronically. Students at university and members of the State Library of N.S.W. can view these journals electronically as well as in print form. If you're not a member of these institutions you can still visit the library in question and read or photocopy relevant articles. For electronic versions each article will be a separate document. Be aware that UTS has turnstiles and members of the public will need a visitor pass.

Credit: Some rights reserved, Bentley Smith.

 

The Journals

1. The Australian Library Journal (ALJ)

According to ALIA, ''The Australian Library Journal is an internationally recognised journal that showcases the best of Australian library and information research and practice. It has been reaching discerning and influential Australian libraries since 1951. Published quarterly, it contains a wide coverage of Australian library issues ranging from ongoing research to day-to-day articles from practitioners in the workplace.''

2. INCITE

A news magazine about ALIA news and activities. It also includes feature articles about current library issues.

3. Australian Academic & Research Libraries

ALIA says, ''Australian Academic & Research Libraries is a quarterly journal devoted to all aspects of librarianship in university and college libraries, including the Technical and Further Education sector, and in research libraries of all types. It publishes original, refereed contributions on all aspects of librarianship past and present, pure and applied bibliography, publishing, information science and related subjects. AARL also reviews publications in these areas.''

I love my Kindle

I have always been an avid reader and horder of books. My interest in ebooks came later and they fascinate me greatly. I bought my Kindle last year when I was living in the U.K. I've downloaded countless ebooks from the public domain from websites such as The Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg. Some of my favourites include:

• Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens
• Lost Illusions by Honore de Balzac
• Old Times: A picture of social life at the end of the eighteenth century by John Ashton (1885)

Classics and interesting works of non-fiction are readily available in a variety of formats from the standard epub to PDF's and Mobi or AZW, specific for the Kindle. The easiest way to view PDF's not formatted by a publisher is to switch to the landscape view on the Kindle, otherwise when you zoom in you will cut out much of the text.

New ebooks

Public libraries are now a good resource for ebooks which are borrowed like a print book. All you need is an ebook device (or a smartphone, ipad etc) such as the Kindle and the appropriate ebook format. Unfortunately,  the only formats available are Adobe epub, and PDF which must be viewed in Adobe Digital Editions, which the Kindle doesn't support. The Kindle format is only provided to libraries in the USA. 

Overdrive is the main way to access ebooks. You may not be able to download ebooks to your Kindle but you could read them on your computer or smartphone/Blackberry. Enquire at your local library for more details.


Although this is disappointing for Kindle users outside of the USA, ebooks tend to be cheaper than print books and in time Overdrive may expand outside of the USA. 


Why I bought a Kindle over other ebook devices

So why the Kindle? I looked at Sony devices, the Kobo and many others. But in the end the Kindle's black and white non-reflective screen, popularity and reasonable price won me over. Sometimes I regret not being able to view the more popular formats on my device but I love my kindle (2nd generation) and I believe it is still the better device on the market. I just hope the industry realises this and stops allowing Adobe to take over this ebook wonderland.