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!