Image via Wikipedia
Notes about ebooks from Computers in Libraries 2011
1/5 of the US online population reads at least two books per month. How are we going to capture that audience? If you own a Kindle and download a book a week, you spend $500 a year on eBooks. Where can you get them for free? The library. The eReader and tablet market is huge. 1/3 of US online customers will be using a tablet in the next few years. Smart phones surpassed the sales of PCs on a quarterly basis. The argument that eBooks are only for the people who can afford the devices is no longer salient. Smart phone penetration is highest among ethnic minorities. Pricing models will change as the market grows. HarperCollins was one of the first big publishers to start offering eBooks. Things are going to change and we’re going to have to deal with it. 72% of libraries are offering eBooks, and the rest of the libraries should start thinking about it by grouping with a consortium locally. If you have a collection and you’re not taking it seriously, you need to start. If you don’t put new titles in there, people won’t come back to look at the collection. Consider circulating devices. Start planning for the future of eBooks now.
Virtual Library Notes 