Ereaders in libraries are becoming a very big thing. Many libraries are embracing this new technology and using it to reach out to their patrons, providing them with an alternative option for the “outdated” hard copies of books. It’s also a way to relate to the younger generation, who are mostly quite familiar with the changing technologies of our times. This may, on surface level, appear to be a good thing. But is it really?
Our main goal as librarians is to get the patrons the information they need as conveniently as possible. A drawback to libraries providing ereaders for their patrons is just that: providing.
Ereaders are expensive. That cannot be denied. A library would have to purchase a large quantity of ereaders in order to meet the demands of the public. They would undoubtedly be an item in high demand. Many patrons would prefer these to standard hard copies of books. But ereaders would be checked out on such a constant basis that there may not be enough to go around. Angry patrons may, unfortunately, have to resort to the more primitive methods of checking out hard copies or using interlibrary loans if the ereaders they desire are all checked out.
Another problem when it comes to providing these sorts of items is theft. Unfortunately, some people would much rather snag an ereader from the local library than buy one themselves, or pay to use one repeatedly. In our damaged economy, many people want the luxury of such items without the chore of coughing up the money for it.
In addition to theft, what about maintenance? Suppose a careless patron drops his ereader by accident? What if one is misplaced by a patron or the staff? And constant use tends to wear down the technology and make it run slower. Repairs of this kind must be factored into a budget. We cannot deny that maintenance, especially when it comes to technology and computer items, does not run cheap. We have to stop and wonder if a library would really benefit from providing ereaders to the patrons. Would the cost of maintaining the ereaders, replacing the damaged or lost or stolen, repairing glitches and breaks, outweigh the benefits of providing them to the patrons?
This is a difficult decision to make. On one hand, we as librarians have a duty to provide information to our patrons in as convenient a way as possible. But, on the other hand, as convenient as this method may be for the patron, would it really be convenient for the library itself? It is a tough call that only we as librarians can make as we see fit.
Sources:
http://tracygregory.hubpages.com/hub/Why-School-Libraries-Still-Need-Books-On-the-Shelves
Team Hedgehog blogs about the effects that eBooks and eReaders are having on the LIS professions.
Many libraries are offering e-books available for download to user-owned devices. It seems that this system eliminates most of the problems you mentioned above, with perhaps the exception of price. However, as the cost of e-readers continues to drop, price will become less of an issue.
ReplyDeleteAt the Ann Arbor library, we also offer e-books for download and it is becoming frequently popular. Offering e-books themselves at a library sounds incredibly problematic. The only way I can see this is working is there is a lab created with e-books that do not leave the library and allow access at all times to certain popular books the library offers. It could be similar to the way many libraries have computer labs. To return to the AADL,how it works is that patrons download specific software to their e-reader, kindle, etc., and then log onto site we use. The links to the software site, the e-library site, and the portion of our website that describes all of this are located below.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.aadl.org/catalog/ebooks
http://www.overdrive.com/software/omc/
http://mlc.lib.mi.us/cms/sitem.cfm
In LIS 6080, we were asked to create a technology budget for a public library and one of the difficult decisions was "do we buy eReaders?" Today it is almost expected to have eReaders where there are eBooks, and most patrons would agree. However, like your blog discusses, how does one keep their eReaders shiny and new? My plan was to have eReaders available for in library use only. If a patron wants to read an eBook, they have to physically sit in the library to do it. Might seem unfair but it beats the alternative of the patrons 2 year old dropping it in the toilet.
ReplyDeleteYou make a lot of valid points. With libraries having a previous reputation of trying to close the so-called "digital divide" by providing free computer and internet access to the public, we would expect them to do the same with ebooks and ereaders. Yet, it really does not seem plausible for any library, given the high cost associated with having ereaders that could be loaned out to patrons. We also have to keep in mind that there will always be people who cannot afford this new technology, no matter how low the price goes. Some patrons will still rely on non-electronic book formats, and that is just one of the reasons libraries will never go out of style. :)
ReplyDelete-E.H.
When I was doing my research on e-readers, I found that some libraries are having a few on hand to use in the library just so patrons can try them out and see what reader best fit their individual needs. I have yet to use one since I do prefer reading an actual book, but I know people that have them LOVE them, but I really hope they won't replace actual books, especially for children.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this post about the ereaders. It sounds like a wonderful idea to me, as another example of libraries acquiring new technologies or putting on new and exciting programs in order to increase the patronage at their library. I'm not a technology guy, so I'll take a hard copy over an ereader anyday of the week. However, I do consider myself open-minded to accept change and adapting any new ways of doing things to keep moving. I suggest that libraries should wait for the prices of ereaders to drop before adding them to their list of services, then they'll be able to buy enough for patrons to check out. If that is not an option, then I suggest a download station so that patrons who are already technologically savvy can plug their devices into the station to download any title they wish. This is a service that is offered at the library I work at (Henry Ford Cenntennial Library), and it has worked out wonderfully. As much as some traditionalists would cry about the technology invasion happening at our libraries, everyone just has to admit and accept that the world is changing at a rapid pace and everybody and everything, including our libraries, are changing along with it.
ReplyDelete-Jason
Often I have wondered whether or not allowing patrons to check out e-readers would be more of a hinderance than a convenience. Yes, they do seem to be very cool and convenient to the patron but for a libraries budget...maybe not. We are living in a troubled economy and as many of us know, the libraries are among some of the first institutions to have their budgets slashed. Now let’s do the math if an large public library were to purchase e-books at about $100 a piece, and their institution caters to a population of over half a million people, then how many e-readers would they be able to afford in order to satisfy the demands of their patrons? Perhaps 10 or 20? That would be between $1000 and $2000 dollars, which actually is not bad for a large public library...if the funds are available. I believe in order to satisfy a great demand a library would need to purchase anywhere between 30 and 40 e-readers spending anywhere between $3000 and $4000 dollars. As the article stated one would also have to consider replacement and repair costs in case one were to be damaged, lost or stolen. Let’s not also forget about the costs of extended warranties on each device as well as the additional insurance coverage the library may have to purchase. Overall e-readers are wonderful gadgets to possess but they may be best kept as personal devices versus ones patrons can check out of a library.
ReplyDeleteNichole
Although e readers are currently quite expensive with a top of the line product running around a $100 the technology will continue to get cheaper as more products are introduced to the market. I do agree with the point that at the current market prices it would be impossible for a libraries to provide enough e readers for all their patrons who do not personally own. However with the technology curve as it currently is their is no reason to believe that in the next decade that it will not be possible to produce e reader for close to paperback and hard cover book prices. Until this time however making eBooks the primary focus of libraries would not be possible to do an equitable way. However this does not mean that libraries should not place any focus on eBooks as the potential benefits of eBooks are vast, even if only limited budget resources can be allocated to ebooks.
ReplyDelete