Local Libraries and Book Stores Now Offering E-books

In an effort to meet the changing needs of their patrons, local libraries, as well as local bookstore owners have begun to offer e-books.

The sales of e-books are just exploding, especially after the holiday season,” said Mike Firestone, outgoing director of the Hampton Bays Library.  “It is definitely going to alter the way we do things at the library.”

With many inquiries about e-books, the Hampton Bays Library has teamed up with the Suffolk County Cooperative Community Library System to offer e-books for those who have a Nook, Sony Digital Reader, i-phone, or i-pad.   The e-books are available on a circulation basis, meaning the same rules that apply to borrowing a hard copy of a book apply to e-books.

So far, the response has been positive.

According to Firestone, in December, nearly 100 e-books were downloaded from the library’s website.  That number is up from prior months were there was an average of about 17 downloads per month.

“It’s growing,” said Firestone; however, he pointed out that e-book usage is still “miniscule” compared to the library’s overall circulation.

Firestone says nearly 12,000 books are circulated at the library each month.

Firestone says he doesn’t see e-books changing the face of the library anytime soon, but he said as technology continues to grow, he imagines that it will eventually alter the way the library uses its space.

For example, he said if e-books become more popular, the library would be able to free up library collection areas for additional meeting or tutoring space. 

It would also make room for additional computer workstations.

Access to computers is in demand, said Firestone, noting that some 35,000 patrons have used the library’s adult computers over the past year.

The Westhampton Library, run by director Matthew Bollerman, is also offering e-books in conjunction with the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. 

Like at the Hampton Bays Library, Bollerman says more and more patrons are downloading books.

“We are finding that e-book readers are popular gifts and there has been an increases in interest in borrowing them.”

Bollerman also says that as the popularity of e-books continue to increase, he believes that the library, like Hampton Bays will be able to free up shelf space for other things.

“I don’t view the library as a warehouse for books, it provides information, regardless of the format. This is an exciting time and we want to make sure that we can help people get what they want,” he said.

While reducing the library’s physical collection won’t happen any time soon, Bollerman says that when that when that day does come, the library will have an opportunity to provide additional programs and other services.

While local libraries are evolving to offer the opportunity to borrow e-books, Terry Lucas, owner of the Open Book in Westhampton Beach, says she has also embraced e-books into her business.

Finding that more patrons are looking for e-books, she has started to offer them on her website.

“Technology is changing minute by minute and I knew a lot of customers got e-book readers as gifts during the holidays.  I didn’t want to loose them entirely so I thought offering e-books on my website would be a good way to keep my customers and meet their changing needs.”