Long Beach Post: Long Beach Public Library eBooks to be Showcased at Art Walk on Feb 11

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Long Beach Public Library eBooks to be Showcased at Art Walk on Feb 11

by Long Beach Post | Staff Reports | 01.23.12 |

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11:45am | Free eBooks and downloadable audiobooks from the Long Beach Public Library will be showcased next month when the Digital Bookmobile National Tour comes to town. Find the Digital Bookmobile at the Second Saturday Art Walk, Saturday, February 11, 2012 from 4:00 � 10:00 pm, on Linden Avenue between East Broadway and East First Street, Downtown Long Beach.

�As an avid eBook reader, I'm delighted that our Long Beach Library is expanding its use of technology that will enrich our community in many ways,� Mayor Bob Foster said. �This event will make it easier and more convenient for residents to access books and other increasingly popular services that our Library

offers.�

At this free event, readers of all ages can learn how to download eBooks and audiobooks through interactive demonstrations and high-definition instructional videos. Bring a Long Beach Public Library card or apply for one at the event for an opportunity to receive a Kindle Touch, provided by the Long Beach Public Library Foundation.

Residents can take advantage of the download service 24/7 by visiting the Library�s new Downloads webpage, www.lbpl.org/downloads.� Browse the growing collection of bestselling, new release, and classic titles, and check out a digital title with a valid Long Beach Public Library card.� Once downloaded, digital titles can be enjoyed on a computer or supported mobile device.� Many audio titles can also be burned to CD.� At the end of the lending period, titles will automatically expire and return to the digital collection. There are never fees, nor worries about late or damaged items with this service.�

�Long Beach Public Library staff is excited to welcome the public to tour the Digital Bookmobile while enjoying the Art Walk.� Stop by with your eReader, mobile device, and library card. Overdrive and Library staff will be on hand to answer your questions and help you take advantage of this unique and free service,� said Glenda Williams, Director of Library Services.

The Digital Bookmobile is housed inside an 18-wheel tractor-trailer. This 74-foot community outreach vehicle is a high-tech update of the traditional bookmobile that has served communities for decades.� The vehicle is equipped with broadband Internet-connected PCs, high definition monitors, premium sound systems, interactive learning stations, and a variety of portable media players, all of which help visitors explore Long Beach Public Library�s download service.� The gadget gallery � featuring an iPad2, Android tablet, Nook, Sony Reader, Amazon Kindle, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Creative Zen and more � will help visitors discover portable devices that are compatible with the library�s download service.��

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3 Comments so far.

Curious
Doesn't this support the argument that the necessity to maintain so many physical library locations is no longer necessary especially in light of Long Beach's current budget issues. Access to books and research materials are readily available online as proven here.

Jennifer J
I disagree with Curious. I think that digital books are a nice addition, but should not replace brick and mortar libraries for a few reasons.

First, libraries offer more than just books. Most libraries have computers that give people who cannot afford a computer or access to the internet can go and find information. If you go to libraries after school hours, you'll see school children doing their homework. These computers are also used by adults, who use computers for various reasons. There was an interesting discussion (I think on AirTalk) about some of the issues associated with filtering information on computers in libraries and First Amendment issues. Regardless, physical libraries are important resources for the public.

Along the same lines, not everyone has a Kindle, Windows Phone, or any of the other gadgets listed above. What I *really* dislike is the idea that we would have to *buy* an expensive gadget to read a book, especially a book that should be offered to the public! Ugh.

Second, not all books are digital. If we get rid of brick and mortar libraries we will lose access to books that are not digital. Mostly new books or so-called "classics" are digital. The public should have access to information and just because that information hasn't been put on a screen does not mean that it lacks import.

Third, these digital books can be more expensive for libraries because the publishing companies charge the library for a "replacement" book if it is checked out more than "x" number of times, even though the medium makes damage to the book impossible (or so it would seem to me). The arbitrary number of check-outs does not compare with the number of times a physical book can be checked out before it needs replacing.

Hello Jennifer
The fact is libraries are far more expensive than digital books. I look at my tax payment each year and would kindly spend two more dollars on an on-line book than hundred times that on supporting a brick and mortar library used by a kid doing homework.