New Year, Fresh Start: Manage your eBook Files with Calibre

While I still haven't sold the kids on using an eReader, for me, the Nook is becoming more and more indispensable. Sticking to the theme of making use of things we already have this year, I looked around for ways to make it even more functional.

I had mainly used my original style Nook to borrow eBooks from the library, which are DRM protected and utilize OverDrive and Adobe Digital Editions to load them on the Nook. It's less rocket science than it would sound at first, but both programs are really only good for that one application. Note that now you can also borrow Kindle formatted library books, a new development this year for Kindle users. I still am pissed at Amazon about the summary deletion of customers' copies of 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell back when Kindle was first out, so I am sticking with Nook for now. Not that I hold grudges or anything.

The Nook supports various file formats, including PDF files. A lot of material that I use for homeschooling comes in PDF format. As I tend to lose papers (or have them eaten by my weird dogs - yes, I do feed them well, they're just weird), I started keeping PDFs on the Nook. Organizing and finding these files using Adobe Digital Editions, however, was less than amusing. On many of them I'd find weird blanks and missing info where the author's name would go, or missing titles, which sort of removes any convenience factor having them on the eReader would offer. Enter Calibre eBook Management for the solution to that problem.

Calibre is an open source program that has all kinds of nice tools for keeping things organized and coherent in your eReader. You can also convert file formats from Kindle to Nook, and vice versa (only if they are NOT DRM protected!), and it has a built-in reader if you want to read them on your computer. The user interface is easy to master, and the video demos are very helpful for getting maximum use out of the program.

I like that I can edit the metadata so easily on any file I have, especially some of the educational materials I've downloaded in PDF form that just didn't translate well in Adobe's interface. I finally am getting use out of all the Project Gutenberg literature that basically languished on the computer since I can spiff things up using Calibre. I also store PDF user manuals for the various tech gadgets and software that we use. Having it in the Nook is so much more convenient than having to pull stuff up on the computer screen, or waste paper and ink printing it all out. Considering what happens to loose paper around here, having it on the eReader is a no brainer. Luckily, the dogs don't find electronic devices tasty. Yet.

Another bonus is the ability to search for free and non-DRM protected works from within the Calibre interface. The search engine clearly shows all relevant info, and makes finding things so much more quick and streamlined.

Calibre is free to download, and works with Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux, and there is a donate button to support the developer, so DO IT!