Would patrons really pay for the right to borrow ebooks? In the year since Freading launched, that answered would appear to be yes. The convenience alone might be enough to spur some patrons to pay for a digital edition that they can drive to the library to borrow for free in print. And the knowledge that this nominal fee affords their own libraries the opportunity to continue offering titles for lending can be enough of an incentive for patrons who want to show their support of reading.
Michael Sauers is the Technology Manager for Do Space in Omaha, NE. After earning his MLS in 1995 from the University at Albany's School of Information Science and Policy Michael spent his first 20 years as a librarian training other librarians in technology along with time as a public library trustee, a bookstore manager for a library friends group, a reference librarian, a technology consultant, and a bookseller. He has written dozens of articles for various journals and magazines and has published 14 books ranging from library technology, blogging, Web design, and an index to a popular horror magazine. In his spare time, he blogs at TravelinLibrarian.info, runs The Collector's Guide to Dean Koontz website at CollectingKoontz.com, takes many, many photos, and typically reads more than 100 books a year.
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