E-books for those who are afraid of time
E-book is an analogue of the text book, which is stored o an electronic storage device and can be read on the computer's screen. Nowadays majority of the libraries, archives and museums is concerned of their funds’ security thus they are accumulating the copies of the books in the electronic libraries. E-books allow presenting various information – texts, images (ex., maps), video and audio records, multimedia files and data bases. Thus such editions as the encyclopaedias, dictionaries, albums and geographical maps were issued on the CDs at first. Such electronic editions offer much more advantages that reading – there are advanced search opportunities, revision of the context by topics, articles, etc as well as using such additional options as attaching the notes to the chosen pages.
Earlier the electronic books provided the textual information and search opportunity only. Today popularity of such e-books, which provide images as well as video and audio records grows. Usually such editions as dictionaries and encyclopaedias, which are used mostly by the academic youth, are issued since they contain help pages for the pupils and students. The companies can also take the advantage of the e-books presenting information on the products and services they offer and distribute them during the exhibitions. E-books are very advantageous for this purpose as allow supplementing already existing content with new information, renew the price lists, etc.
Penki kontinentai group offers issuing the e-books, which can be written to the CDs. Such books can store much more information the printed ones, they cannot be torn. “Mix media” reminds a kind of an interactive encyclopaedia with texts, images, audio records, advanced search and sorting options.
E-books offer the following advantages:
along with the textual information images, photos, audio records (ex., interview with a book’s author) are presented;
having submitted a needed word into a search window one can search not among the articles only but also among the images and photos;
information can be presented in several languages;
the books may be supplemented with additional information anytime (this may be done both by an author of the book and by a reader).
E-book is created using “Macromedia Flash”. In order to browse such a book your computer should be of the following configuration:
Processor – at least 700 MHz “Intel Celeron”
Monitor resolution – 800x600
RAM – 64 MB
2x CD-ROM device.
Penki kontinentai group created an electronic version of the documentary Vilius Kavaliauskas’ book “For Merits to Lithuania” . The CD presents textual information in Lithuanian and English as well as video interview with the book’s author in both languages. Up-to-date technologies allow supplementing an e-book with additional information. This is of high importance since an author can supplement his or her e-book with the comments, notices. An author has got an opportunity to improve a book constantly. The additional information for “For Merits to Lithuania” is expected to be accumulated at MediaSearch.lt multimedia files’ database. The book’s owners will be able to download that information and supplement their e-books. The e-book itself is available at www.books.lt on-line bookstore and at the official page thereof www.decorations.lt. The second edition of the e-book is not available at the ordinary bookstores, one can purchase it via the Internet only.
By means of "Mix media books" technology an electronic presentation of Vaida Grikðaitë, the winner of "Miss Lithuania 2002" competition , has been issued on CD. The CD contains information about the beauty, the photos thereof. Besides this e-presentation, a visit card – a small CD with a brief info – was created for Vaida.
A CD with the e-presentation of Arûnas Matelis’ films has also been issued. The film of producer Arûnas Matelis was given the name of platinum film at the Cannes festival. “Naujoji rûta” confectionery and other companies and institutions presented the products thereof on CD, too.