EBooks Launched At The Public Library

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

With the advent of e-readers, the way in which consumers obtain and read literature has changed permanently. Henrico County Public Library began an extensive planning process in January 2011 that included a variety of focus groups, community meetings, individual interviews, as well as online and print surveys in an attempt to identify the e-book need in the community. Of the 7,000 responses, an overwhelming number of our community members specifically asked, “When was the public library going to get eBooks?”. A collection of downloadable books for computers was already offered through NetLibrary (approximately 7,000 – 10,000 titles), but had no digital copies that were specifically designed for downloading to portable devices had been purchased. Since then, on June 16, OverDrive was launched and has become the library community’s most popular new product. There is a high public demand for these new formats in Henrico County, as well as significant misinformation in the public’s mind about what these formats were and how they could use them. As a result of this program, the county has revolutionized the way in which citizens can obtain books from the public library. An e-reader program will not only reduce operating and staffing costs at local libraries, it will also increase the educational efficacy of citizens in the community.