James LaRue, director of Douglas County Libraries in
Colorado, recently wrote an article for American Libraries magazine on the future
of library funding for digital and print resources. In the article he predicts
that three years from now, public libraries will divert as much as 50% of their
budgets to digital content—creating wider access to e-books as more and more
people switch to e-readers. It is wonderful that libraries are responding to
their patron’s demand for digital, however as demand for print books
declines, so too may the necessity to keep them on hand. In a few short years we
may see libraries ridding themselves of thousands of books that are no longer
needed by their patrons due to the switch to digital. Libraries may also see a rise in donations from the
public, who are replacing their home collections with digital copies. Libraries
with active Friends groups and productive sales will take advantage of this
influx, while those who lack these resources for dealing with discards and
donations may find themselves drowning under boxes of paperbacks. No one wants
to see these books go to waste, especially not B-Logistics. We want to help
libraries manage their excess materials, while creating a revenue stream that
can provide funds for e-books and library programs. Visit www.blogistics.com to learn more! Thursday, May 31, 2012
The Switch to Digital
James LaRue, director of Douglas County Libraries in
Colorado, recently wrote an article for American Libraries magazine on the future
of library funding for digital and print resources. In the article he predicts
that three years from now, public libraries will divert as much as 50% of their
budgets to digital content—creating wider access to e-books as more and more
people switch to e-readers. It is wonderful that libraries are responding to
their patron’s demand for digital, however as demand for print books
declines, so too may the necessity to keep them on hand. In a few short years we
may see libraries ridding themselves of thousands of books that are no longer
needed by their patrons due to the switch to digital. Libraries may also see a rise in donations from the
public, who are replacing their home collections with digital copies. Libraries
with active Friends groups and productive sales will take advantage of this
influx, while those who lack these resources for dealing with discards and
donations may find themselves drowning under boxes of paperbacks. No one wants
to see these books go to waste, especially not B-Logistics. We want to help
libraries manage their excess materials, while creating a revenue stream that
can provide funds for e-books and library programs. Visit www.blogistics.com to learn more! 
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I hope libraries don't move too quickly to get rid of their books. I get little satisfaction reading something on a tablet. It's almost cold and without feeling... but there's this amazing anticipation as I turn each page and get closer and closer to finishing a good book. It's exciting!
ReplyDeleteI agree but having spent 20+ years in traditional book publishing, I see the writing on the wall...or in this case, the tablet! Libraries serve the public and the public "seems" to want ebooks. Look at the number of seminars being offered at the ALA conference related to ebooks and digital publishing -- and there will be plenty of exhibitors there to back this up. Whenever we raffle off reading "devices" the librarians are eager to have one - if not for themselves, then as a teaching/learning device.
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