The topic I chose was what impact e-readers will have on libraries. According to the blog submitted by Daniel Freeman, three points of view agree that e-readers are the wave of the future. Libraries should look into acquiring them. But, one major problem arises with circulating e-readers. There could be a legal issue as far as copying the same title multiple times. Some research has been done in this area, according to the blog posted by Tom Peters (www.alatechsource.org/blog/2010/08/seize-and-solve-this-challenge.html )
indicating that industry leaders need to help solve the problem of limiting title usage. Can they develop an e-reader specifically for library use? I feel that libraries need to keep up with technology as much as possible and it seems to me that e-readers are a technology that many people are turning to. I think we need to collaborate with industry leaders to work out these issues so we can make this technology available to our patrons.
I definitely agree that libraries need to keep up with technology. I do think that it is a library's job to provide access to e-books for people with e-readers. However, I don't think that circulating e-readers is the best solution. There are many issues involved with this and I don't think many libraries have the budget to support the decision to circulate e-readers. One problem that I see is that there will constantly be new e-readers coming out and new updates to already existing models. Also, there is the issue of the items getting stolen. All in all, if libraries can afford this service, then more power to them. From my standpoint, it is our job to know how to help patrons with e-readers and teach them how to use the software that allows them to download our books. I think a good idea would be to purchase one or two e-readers as a demonstration to patrons. This will let them know if buying one is a good decision for them.
ReplyDeleteMary, I agree that keeping up with the Jones regarding technology is vital for libraries. I would be concerned about theft, vandalism, and obsolescence of e-readers as newer models are debuted. Sarah's comments are right on the money. Let the library invest in a few different models for patrons to evaluate if the product is right for them. As prices come down, this will become a viable option for even small budget library systems. I think providing the e-books in a format that most readers can utilize is the bigger problem, and that is industry's problem to address, not the library's.
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