As the way that many readers access books is changing, the Pratt Library is changing to keep up with the times. Starting August 8th, two branches of the Enoch Pratt Free Library system will begin offering e-readers to library patrons for check out.
"We're always asked what will be the future of libraries and books with the arrival and boom of e-readers like the Kindle, Nook, and iPad. So instead of shying away from this change, the Pratt Library has decided to embrace it," says Roswell Encina, Director of Communications for the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
The Barnes and Noble "Nook" branded e-readers will be available for checkout at the Reisterstown Road branch and the Waverly branch. Each e-reader comes preloaded with titles ranging from new bestsellers to children's books.
"Currently the e-readers are preloaded with 22 titles that includes best-sellers like Tina Fey's Bossypants, Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay and David Baldacci's The Sixth Man. Its a combination of fiction and non-fiction. There are also children's and teen titles as well as several classics, like Little Women," Encina says.
E-readers can be checked out by Pratt library patrons 18 and older who have a good library record, a library card, and a photo ID. Patrons will be allowed to keep the e-reader for 3 weeks. The Pratt Library system is hoping to expand the e-reader program to other branches in the future, and is looking for sponsors to help with that expansion. The library plans to offer additional e-readers through the Student Express Department at the Central Library. E-readers preloaded with the year's reading list will also be offered to middle schoolers at Saint Ignatius School.
Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Roswell Encina, The Enoch Pratt Free Library