A few weeks ago I talked about Kelley participating in the downloadable ebooks program offered through the State Library of NH. What I didn't mention was the fact that we had purchased a Kindle and were in the midst of preparing it for circulation.
We are proud to announce that the Kindle is now available for use. We decided, after much discussion, to devote the content to books on the NY Times best sellers lists - fiction and nonfiction. We thought using these titles would provide a variety of books of popular interest and reflecting a wide range of topics, points of view, and ideas.
Right now the Kindle has 10 titles, five from each list, and we will be adding to the selections regularly. You can reserve it just like any other library item either at the library or online here.
Why a Kindle? Well, it is the easiest for the library to access additional books to add and Amazon has a large library of books to select from. Why an ebook? The library has a long standing reputation of offering new formats as they become standardized, balancing keeping on the forefront with jumping on formats that won't last. It's a balance of embracing the new with fiscal responsibility. Why offer the Kindle for circulation? It is a great tool for many of our users. It is an easy way to take a wide selection of books on a trip without having to lug around all those books. It is a wonderful option for people with sight issues (the font size can be changed easily) or with other physical limitations (it is light, doesn't require being held open, is enormously portable, and can be propped up for reading). And just like the many formats we offer books in already (audio, large print, print, downloadable) it is another way to make reading accessible to the community.
Try it out, tell us what you think.
Book: 2001, a space odyssey, by Arthur C Clarke.
Book: Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed, by Jared M. Diamond
Book on CD: Microtrends[the small forces behind tomorrow's big changes], by Mark J. Penn
DVD: The Terminator
Thank you for being such a GREAT library for our town! You have continued to grow as the needs of our community have grown. I have apprciated the staff over the years, always willing to help. I have especially enjoyed having access to Christian Fiction books. Thanks again for all you do.
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