TribLocal is taking a look at the challenges facing today’s local libraries in the digital age. This is the first in a four part series.
Libraries have come a long way since the Dewey Decimal System and microfilm.
Today, patrons can check out downloadable material, including eAudiobooks and eBooks online, and some libraries in the south suburbs are also allowing patrons to check out this year’s hottest holiday gift—eReaders like the Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad, Barnes & Noble Nook and Sony Reader. (Photos: Local libraries showcase eReaders and eBooks)
“There has been an unprecedented increase in digital book inquiries this past holiday season,” said Kara Kohn, a librarian at the Plainfield Public Library.
In 2009, 4,159 eBooks were downloaded and in 2010, 6,953 eBooks were checked out by Plainfield library cardholders, Kohn said.
Plainfield Public Library patrons can download eBooks through the library’s Web site, plainfield.lib.il.us. Cardholders also can check out eReaders like the Sony Reader Pocket Edition and Sony Reader Touch Edition at the library.
The Fountaindale Public Library, which serves residents of Bolingbrook, also offers eBooks at its Web site, fountaindale.org, and has been lending out four Sony eReaders to patrons.
Debra Dudek, adult and teen services department manager, said the library has stopped letting patrons check out the eReaders until March 7, when the new library building being constructed adjacent to the current library, 300 W. Briarcliff Road, is scheduled to open.
“When we open the new building, we will have five or six different eReaders to [demonstrate],” Dudek said, adding that patrons need a library card and a $25 refundable deposit to check out an eReader.
Dudek said in October 2009, only six eBooks were downloaded, and for the months after, there was a steady growth of eBooks downloaded. By January 2010, about 60 eBooks were checked out, she said, adding that in November 2010, that number spiked to 127 and then in December, 173 eBooks were downloaded.
“This Christmas became the big push,” she said of the eBooks, which can be checked out for a seven-day or 14-day checkout period. “It definitely showed in our statistics that people are paying attention to eBooks.”
Dudek said because of the increase in demand for teen-focused eBooks, the biggest growth in the library’s collection is eBooks geared toward ages 14 to 25. She said the library also offers children’s eBooks like those by Dr. Seuss and the Magic Tree House series.
For students, many libraries offer eBooks from gutenberg.org, which offers free, public domain eBooks, including classic literature by authors like Charles Dickens.
“It’s a great resource for students,” Tony Lucarelli, Fountaindale’s senior adult services librarian for business and communications, said. “They can keep [the eBook] as long as they want to.”
The number of eBook downloads for the Joliet Public Library also has ballooned. In January 2010, there were 87 eBook downloads, and in December 2010, there were 262 downloads.
“When we first started the service, we were begging people to use it,” Pam Dubé, Joliet library’s manager of popular services, said of the downloadable material available at joliet.lib.il.us. “It’s kind of nice not to be talking people into using it—they kind of wanted to use it.”
Similar to other area libraries, Joliet Public Library belongs to a consortium made up of libraries that provide eBooks through eMediaLibrary, which is powered by OverDrive.
“Right now, I think we don’t have enough eBooks to meet the demand, and we want to meet the demand,” Dubé said. “We have just over 1,000 eBooks, and we have just over 3,000 eAudiobooks. Now that the demand has shifted, we are focusing on the eBooks and getting that number much higher.”
Patrons of the Plainfield, Fountaindale and Joliet libraries can receive step-by-step instructions on how to download eBooks by going online, calling or visiting the libraries. Plainfield Public Library also plans to host workshops and programs focused on eBooks and eReaders in the upcoming months. To learn more, go to http://www.plainfield.lib.il.us/readers-space/downloadable-books.asp. The next program, Donuts and Digital Books, will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. at Plainfield Dunkin’ Donuts, 13313 S Route 59, Plainfield.
With the popularity of digital collections, Dubé and Kohn agree funding the eBook demands will be a challenge.
“Additionally, the biggest concern for me as a librarian is the widening of the digital divide,” Kohn said. “What happens to those users who can’t afford a digital reader or a computer to download materials? We hope that by being able to lend out devices that we can offer this technology to those who might otherwise not be able to afford it.”
Dudek said she doesn’t see eBooks taking precedence over books because the downloadable collection is more leisure reading.
“We see this as another offering of service that the library provides,” Dudek said. “It’s the type of information that is not going to take over libraries as a whole.”
—TribLocal reporter Heather MacDonald contributed to this report.
