Christmas 2010 is likely to be heavy on the gadgets with smart phones, tablets and e-readers being heavily promoted.

Is your library ready to take advantage to promote reading, and your ebook collections?

There are about 25 library services in Australia offering ebooks via the Overdrive digital media service according to a quick look at the Overdrive Find a Library. But there are also heaps of other sources of e-books (free and commercial, audio and text) that our communities could use.

A couple of days ago on Twitter one library user’s frustrations with getting library ebooks onto her ipad were aired. After initial delight that her public library has downloadable audio and e-books turned to horror at how difficult it was to get them on her ipad she was considering “going to illegally download content”. “I tried to be good” she said. Fortunately she was successful on a second attempt the next day.

I had some problems with my first attempt at getting an overdrive ebook onto my iphone, but the second attempt did work. I’ve no idea why one worked and the other didn’t.

There are so many different operating systems, devices and sources to consider it’s no wonder that this might be challenging.

So, while a gadgety Christmas presents an opportunity to promote ebook collections and reading ebooks generally, it really cannot be capitalised unless libraries and their suppliers can make the download experience as easy as possible and to make sure there is plenty of support.

Things to consider in the near future…

• Are library staff familiar with downloading ebooks to various devices?
• Are staff able to provide consultations to customers on how to use ebooks? Have they even laid hands on a smart phone or tablet?
• Do you have plans to run face-to-face sessions on using ebooks?
• Are customers able download books at the library where they can get assistance? How about just a small ebook for demo purposes?
• Are you monitoring social networks to find out what difficulties people are having and if possible to help them?

Happy Christmas everyone, and hope you get time for some reading pleasure over the break.