iPad Growth

A press release came through today from Tauranga City Council.

The headline "Ebooks @ your library!"

...and the good news for tablet owners? iPad compatible :)

I've copied the press release below - have a read through.

For iPad owners, all you will need is an existing library membership and pin (get this by heading into the library and seeing one of the staff, I plan on doing this tomorrow) + a free copy of the Bluefire Reader App.

$2 is a sweet price to be paying to have access to an ebook for two weeks, and is a price I'd say most iPad owners are happy to pay for the convenience. 

2012 is going to be a big year for the iPad. I'm off to the Media Solutions Lab in Phoenix, USA in just a few days to do some further learning on what we can expect in this growth area, so watch this space.

"Tauranga City Libraries has a new book collection – but you won’t find them on the shelves.

Ebooks have arrived at your library, with over 1300 titles available to borrow on the new online ebook catalogue. Ebooks are electronic books which can be downloaded onto smartphones, tablets and electronic readers.

Libraries around New Zealand are offering ebooks to customers as electronic devices capable of displaying books in easy to read formats become more and more popular.

Collections and Information Manager Smita Biswas says the library wanted to ensure it is keeping up with trends. “Ebooks are an incredibly convenient way to access books on the go, and we anticipate demand for them will only increase. We hope to grow our collection over the next few years as more people take up the service”.

One of the great things about offering ebooks online is that the library doesn’t have to be open for customers to access the collection. Library members can go online 24-7 to download ebooks onto their device. Ebooks will stay on the device for two weeks and will then be automatically removed.

The library is offering 1000 titles for free, with other titles available for $2.00 for two weeks. “In most cases e-books can be cheaper to purchase than their paper counterparts (usually between $10 - $20), but borrowing one for only $2.00 – or in some cases free - is an even more economical way to go” says Smita."