E-readers cause spike in library e-book downloads
20.05.12
Over the holidays, WPLC purchased 4,467 e-books at a cost of
$99,000, to avoid the long wait e-reader owners had after Christmas
2010, Director of the L.D. Fargo Public Library Gerard Saylor
said.
Many owners of the popular devices receive them as holiday gifts,
and in 2010, WPLC didn’t have enough e-books to keep up with the
demand from new owners. The recent purchase brings the statewide
total to 7,077 titles, not including multiple copies of popular
titles.
In Lake Mills, e-book usage spiked in October 2011 and has grown
each month since. Readers checked out 77 e-books in November
alone.
In Jefferson, readers also enjoy the option to borrow books
electronically, assistant director and reference librarian Leann
Lehner said.
Lehner said she expects to have more people asking about OverDrive,
since e-readers fall into a wide price range, making them more
affordable now than when they first hit the market.
Watertown Public Library’s head of reference John Burns said he’s
noticed all different types of people inquiring about e-downloads,
from the young to the young-at-heart.
Source: Watertown Daily Times