Library system touting e-book downloads
WAYNESBURG – Greene County Library System is seeing a steady increase in the number of e-books checked out each month as workers are trying to make area residents aware of the electronic resource for its cardholders.
Therese Barry, administrator for the library system, said that 75 percent of the country’s public libraries have e-books available for readers, but that a majority of people don’t know they have the ability to borrow the electronic versions on their smarphones or tablets.
The county’s two public libraries, Bowlby Public Library in Waynesburg and Flenniken Public Library in Carmichaels, are working with libraries across the state to highlight their e-book collections in time for summer reading.
“Over half of Americans have a dedicated handheld device, either a tablet or e-reader. However, that number is much higher for smartphones, on which e-books can also be read,” Barry said. “The portable nature of e-books means that you can have a wide selection of titles at your fingertips wherever you are.”
By the end of 2015, Barry said the library system had more than 61,000 titles on its Freading platform, which is available only to Greene County residents. Barry said readers can do simultaneous downloads so people don’t have to “wait in line” for their turn.
On the OverDrive system, which is through the WAGGIN network, there are nearly 6,000 titles available, she said.
“We get a steady use of them every month,” Barry said. “It’s in no way what people are borrowing with physical books, but it’s a steady increase every month.”
In May alone, readers downloaded 279 e-books and 64 e-audio book from the two libraries Greene County’s system, she said..
The e-book resources through OverDrive and Freading can be found on the library system’s website at www.greenecolib.org and by clicking the “Resources” tab. Users must have a WAGGIN library card, which can be used at any libraries in Greene, Washington and Fayette counties. People with the library cards can then access e-books on any personal devices that have internet access.