Los Angeles Times: Libraries reinvent themselves as they struggle to remain relevant in the digital age

David Sarno of the Los Angeles Times examines libraries and new technologies and how they will affect readers and libraries in this article.

I found this interesting since our library will be offering Overdrive next month:

A few companies, like OverDrive Inc., offer a service that allows libraries to buy digital copies of some books. Once users download the digital copy to a PC, they have three weeks until the book deletes itself, at which point another patron can download it.

But OverDrive has a limited selection, and because e-books are often wrapped in proprietary software to prevent copying, the company's books can be read on some electronic readers but not others.

We're getting a very positive reaction to this upcoming service. There seems to be a sudden rise in e-book Reader owners. People are looking for advice on Readers, and they want ones that are compatible with Overdrive. (Thus far the Sony Reader and Nook.)

Anytime our customers are excited about books in whatever form they may take, I think we're doing what libraries should do--getting the works of authors into the hands of readers.