Pikes Peak Libraries Get Charged Up

By BILL REED THE GAZETTE

It’s electronic, boogie woogie woogie.

The Pikes Peak Library District is hurtling headlong into the Digital Age with its new "eBranch" virtual library service, officially launched today.

The service offers a small but growing selection of electronic books and audiobooks. Users can download these books to their computers, portable devices or smartphones. (One caveat — the service isn’t compatible with the iPod, because iPods don’t support the library lending model.)

Listen to "Italian on the Move" or "Don Quixote" on your MP3 Player. Read "The Purpose-Driven Life" on your laptop.

The library is seeking ways to give the community more pathways to its resources, and most big-city libraries across the country are moving into digital books.

"Digital book formats have really taken off and PPLD wants to make sure that the Pikes Peak region has an opportunity to check them out," said library spokeswoman Dee Vazquez.

The technology is becoming more popular through Web companies such as Audible.com and Amazon.com. Google Print just unveiled the first virtual library on the Web open to everyone, featuring mainly government documents and older books not protected by copyright law.

Digital books are a boon to libraries because the unit price is lower, they are selfvice (no reshelving books), and the books don’t get damaged or lost so the library’s assets don’t waste away.

So far, the PPLD eBranch contains 404 titles — 263 audiobooks, 141 eBooks. The library partnered with digital book vendor OverDrive Inc. to offer the service, and will continue to buy the books from OverDrive.

The collection runs the gamut but seems heavy on fiction, self- help and how-to titles. The library budgeted $10,000 in 2005 to launch the eBranch, with another $10,000 in 2006 to expand the collection by several hundred titles.

"We certainly are keeping open the possibility the budget might be more. It depends on what our patrons want," said library employee Sue Hammond, who led the charge to found the eBranch. "We’re all really excited to see how our circulation might explode."

The eBranch was launched Oct. 3 with no fanfare, so the library could quietly work out the bugs. Patrons have already discovered the service.

"I was checking the circulation on a daily basis, and was surprised to see people have been finding it on their own. That to me is so cool," Hammond said.

So far, the use of audiobooks and digital books is about even. The most popular titles are do-it-yourself foreign language courses on audio, but general fiction is holding its own. The library will study these trends as it expands its digital collection.

Steve Potash, CEO of Over-Drive Inc., said market research indicates about 70 per-cent of users are women, and some of the most popular genres are bestselling fiction and romance.

Most audiobook users are age 44 and older, while eBook users are generally younger. Some of the digital books’ strongest niches are commuters, college students needing study materials or assigned reading in local schools.

"Kids are grabbing that because they can load them on their phones," Potash said. Library members can download the free software from the library that will help them get the electronic books.

The site is http://ebranch.ppld.org.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does it cost anything?

No. The software is free and the books are free to check out.

Are the rules the same as regular checkouts?

Up to three books at a time can be checked out for 21 days, and only one library patron at a time can have the book.

Do I need special equipment?

No. A regular computer with a 56k modem is all you need (along with a library card).

How long does it take?

Using a 56k modem, the Adobe Reader books should take 30 to 40 minutes, the Mobipocket Reader books should take 10 to 15 minutes, and the OverDrive audiobooks should take one to five minutes.

Can I copy or print the books?

Generally, no, the software guards against it. But some audiobooks can be burned onto CDs.

HOW TO USE IT

1. Go to http://ebranch.ppld.org.

2. Follow links to install and register the free software (Adobe Reader, Mobipocket Reader, OverDrive).

3. Browse the catalog and choose a book to download (add to eCart).

4. Check out up to three titles.

5. The books will become unreadable on your machine after 21 days.