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Originally Posted by JSWolf
Part of the problem is that when eBooks from overdrive were just PDF and Mobipocket, PDF was a more popular choice. So libraries tended to get PDF more so then Mobipocket.
Now that we have ePub, libraries are buying more eBooks in ePub. PDF vs ePub gives NO advantage at all. To view ePub & PDF, both need ADE. And on most stand alone readers, ePub works better.
But the problem is with older books before ePub. You may find your library has older books you want in PDF or Mobipocket. And if you find they are in PDF and you want ePub, you have to request and hope your library will get for you in ePub. Another problem comes when the book you want is PDF or Mobipocket. Most libraries these days don't order Mobipocket anymore even though they have books in Mobipocket format. So for books that don't have an ePub version, it might be PDF or nothing.
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According to an email I got from an acquisitions guy at the Philly Free Library sometimes even if epub is sold commercially they can only get it as a PDF for the library...
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Hello,
Thanks for writing. I definitely agree that ePub is the preferred format. Whenever we have a choice, I acquire ePub over PDF. Display is more flexible and the files can be read by more types of equipment. The library market and the consumer market have some differences. Some publishers only make one type of eBook file available for libraries, even if they create multiple formats for online sale. The ePub format that we acquire also has DRM restrictions which requires the use of Adobe Digital Editions to read the books. This of course restricts the number of devices that can show the books. Personally, I'm hoping that the restrictions get relaxed over time as publishers get more comfortable with electronic versions of their material. This would increase accessibility tremendously. Until then, though, we'll probably keep buying PDFs if they are the only option available to us.
Thanks again,
Ted
Ted Bohaczuk
Acquisitions Department
Free Library of Philadelphia
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