🥇 Library Champion Newsletter | Are eBooks going to replace print books❓
Library Champion,
I hear this question a few times a year: Are eBooks going to replace print books? I'm not sure why we think that. Maybe because it seems that everyone has a phone or tablet and we somehow think they don't read books. I'm not sure how that conclusion is made, but people seem to consider it a possibility. Let me give you some cold hard facts that will answer this question.
In 2019 we had 48,470 print books check out at our library, while 8,979 digital books (eBooks and eAudio titles) checked out. That is a difference of 39,491 and compared to previous years, that gap continues to be sizeable.
In September 2020, we exceeded our 2019 total of digital books checked out and finished 2020 with 11,108 total digital books checked out, a nice bump from 2019. Faced with shelter-at-home orders and other pandemic restrictions in 2020, readers were able to easily read and listen to digital books at any time from anywhere.
The numbers above show that by-and-large print reading is not being outdone by digital books and the two are not even close in comparison. And honestly, there doesn’t need to be a comparison or fretting over which way will be the future we read books. Bottom line: people continue to read and read MORE during the pandemic than in previous years. That should be cause for celebration!
What I'm currently reading
The Last Place by Laura Lippman.
I'm giving this series a try. Scroll down to see why.
Some books I bought today that you should borrow
We now have the full Tess Monaghan Series
(Adult fiction, mystery, female private investigator )
When watching The Wire for the 9373020th time, I noticed that Detective Moreland was reading a book by Laura Lippman. That made me look her books up and found he was reading a title from the Tess Monaghan Series. I found that the library had the second half of that series but not the first half. I hate it when I find gaps in a series, so I bought the first half. Follow this link to see all of the titles in that series and borrow one today! https://www.juniatalibrary.org/search?query=Tess+Monaghan
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We'll send a text 📱
Our system makes it easy to notify you when an item you request is ready to be picked up. We have several features that I want to mention:
1) Email. When an item is ready to be picked up, our system can send an automated email notification to you. Even better, if you have an email address on file, you will get a reminder to renew your library card.
2) Text. The same as email. Be sure to let us know who your cell phone provider is. If you are unsure, use this website: https://www.freecarrierlookup.com/
3) Grant access to someone else. Do you have a family member or caregiver who sometimes picks up your materials? You can list in your account people who you grant them access to your account.
All of the above can be managed by you on our website or in-person at the library. Let us know if you need any help!
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Thank you for being a library champion. You make a difference each day!
--Vince Giordano
Librarian and Director of the Juniata County Library.
P.S.- You don't need to create an account or jump through a bunch of hoops to be a library champion. I wouldn't say this if it wasn't true. You can make this happen in less than a minute. Just click here.