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Ereader Boom II: Is your library ready?
October 7, 2011
Posted in: Board Member Posts, Buzz
Yesterday, I spoke about Library Renewal at the annual meeting of the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services in Lansing, Michigan. It was a great event, and I enjoyed discussing the organization, our mission, and the current state of electronic content in libraries.
I discussed the latest developments in ebooks and ereaders, including the addition of Amazon’s Kindle to the list of devices and apps that are compatible with Overdrive ebooks. I think we need to gear up another busy holiday season and first-quarter of 2012.
According to IDC, shipments of ereaders for 2011 will hit 27 million units, up from a previous forecast of 16.2 million units. Tablet shipments are forecast to exceed 62 million units. This report included the then-unnamed Amazon tablet in its estimates; but not the two newer, less expensive e-ink models. The report also said that this year the magic price point for dedicated readers will be under $100. At least in Amazon’s ad-supported models, the two new e-ink models fit that trend.
What does this mean for libraries? I think it’s safe to say that even as many libraries haven’t fully adjusted to Ereader Boom I at the end of 2010 and early 2011, Ereader Boom II is on the horizon.
In the new few weeks, I will blog specifically about the current problems with ereaders/ebooks in libraries, and offer practical solutions to managing these collections.
The future blog posts will help libraries answer the following questions:
Patron questions:
- What should I buy? – resource comparison guides (tablet vs ereader and comparisons within each category)
- How does my device work with library ebooks? – links to hands-on video tutorials and other resources.
- Including the seasonal favorite: I just got this thing [ereader/tablet] for (insert holiday here). Can I put library ebooks on it?
Staff questions
- How do we better manage troubleshooting questions? In person, over the phone?
- The technological capabilities of both patrons and staff can be obstacles to the successful development of these services: how do we improve both?
And, anything else I came across that will be helpful. Some posts will provide quick fixes, while others will cover larger topics. I hope to interview people who are working with new approaches to some of these problems.
I hope you will tune in, and share your insights in the comments. If you have something to share that will help the library community as a whole—a program, a project, etc.—drop a line on our contact form.
Matt Weaver
Board Member
I’ve done several classes focussing on the questions “Are you thinking about buying an eReader, but not sure which one is best for you?
Do you already own an eReader, a tablet computer, or a smartphone, and want to know how to use it to borrow library books?” The last one was just after Kindle came out, and I’m realizing that it is difficult to cover all types now in one session. I’m thinking about how best to split this up (one session Kindle-only, one session everything else?). I’m finding that for Kindle in particular, patrons fall into two categories; either they find it intuitive & breeze through, or they are baffled and need a lot of assistance. For that second group I created the PDF on this help page, which also contains a “Kindle & your privacy” caveat: http://ci.owatonna.mn.us/library/borrowing-library-ebooks-kindle.
And now I’ve udated the PDF, based on the number of questions we got from patrons who have a 3G Kindle and no access to WiFi:
http://ci.owatonna.mn.us/library/borrowing-library-ebooks-kindle
Thanks for sharing the updated document, Renee. The privacy statement is an important inclusion. Your guide is very easy to follow.
Matt