More libraries in Canada are stocking eBooks and other digital content for patrons. Roughly 21% of libraries in the country already have a lending strategy for digital books, and new branches are buying into the system every month. Overdrive and EBSCO are providing the infrastructure for the libraries to offer online content to patrons who prefer to read books on their tablets or eReaders.
What Else You Need To Know:
- In the first quarter this year, eBooks accounted for 28% of circulated loans in Canada.
- The industry saw a 50% increase in digital circulation from 2011 to 2012.
- Over 63,196 e-books are loaned out from libraries every week.
Other sources
Many large libraries in Canada are adopting an extensive digital strategy at the behest of tech savvy patrons. e-Readers, Tablets and Smartphones now allow patrons to easily borrow books with dedicated apps to borrow and read. The growth of this tech sector is partly due to the success of Kobo, which controls 47% of the entire Canadian market.- Michael Kozlowski, Good E-Reader
- Good E-Reader
-
Borrowing eBooks from Canadian Libraries is on the Rise
In essence, Canadian libraries only started seriously marketing eBooks in early 2010, when the EPUB standard was adopted. Before this standardized electronic format, many libraries only offered PDF books and did not have a digital infrastructure setup to loan them out online.
Many large libraries in Canada are adopting an extensive digital strategy at the behest of tech savvy patrons. e-Readers, Tablets and Smartphones now allow patrons to easily borrow books with dedicated apps to borrow and read. The growth of this tech sector is partly due to the success of Kobo, which controls 47% of the entire Canadian market.-