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Remember the days when people only went to the library to check out books or to do some research? Then, as technology advanced, movies and audio books could be checked out, and libraries provided computer access for its patrons.
Now, libraries provide “books” for your Kindle, Nook, IPad or whatever electronic reader you have. The reading material is sent to your device for two weeks with no charge.
Gone are the days when we had to go to the library to get a book to read (just as we no longer have to go to stores to buy anything). We can do it all on our computer – which is now a much more inclusive term than it used to be when it referred to a screen, keyboard, mouse and CPU that sat on our desks.
It really is amazing how fast technology is changing our world, and it hasn’t been that long since the first consumer-friendly electronic books became available to the public. During that time, the number of people reading e-books instead of turning the pages of a paper book has increased dramatically.
The Amazon Kindle, followed by the Barnes and Noble Nook, began changing people’s reading habits as they saw the advantage of electronic books. Although Kindles and Nooks are still growing in popularity, recently the numbers for those reading books on other platforms has increased also.
A Pew Research Center study showed that now more than 20 percent of us read e-books. Those are impressive numbers for such a short period of time.
It’s amazingly quick and easy to get a book for your reader from a computer bookstore. However, as is sometimes easy to forget, the cost for those books shows up on our credit card bills at the end of the month.
When you go to the library’s website and check out an e-book, there is no cost. Therefore, your credit card bill is not increased at all. The only requirement is that you have a library card.
The Rio Rancho Public Library has about 3,000 books available electronically. That number will grow as the library purchases more.
They have a variety of types of books including fiction and nonfiction as well as books for children and teens. If a book is already checked out, the patron can ask to be put on a waiting list, and the book will be sent to your device as soon as it’s available.
And, if you have a library card from another library, you can check out electronic books from them also.
Outside of the cost savings, checking out books for your children to read without having to get in the car and go to the library is also a great advantage for busy families. We would probably be surprised at how many children today have their own electronic books, but technology advances have created a new world for both children and adults.
Since these are library books, they will be removed from your reading device after two weeks because they are borrowed rather than purchased. The books can be checked out again, however, if you didn’t get to the end of the story, and you don’t have to remember to return your books to the library..
Technology can be wonderful.
We have been known to complain about the inefficient ways government spends our money. Libraries have never been on our list of complaints, and this example of keeping up with today’s world while benefitting the citizens is something that should be commended.
Keep up the good work, Rio Rancho Public Library.
We’ll quit writing now and get back to reading a library book on our electronic reader – without having to worry about the bill that comes at the end of the month.
Common Sense appears on Saturdays. Contact the Ryans at ryan@abqjournal.com .
— This article appeared on page 30 of the Albuquerque Journal
