Library Membership Rising Due To Rental E-Books?

The e-reader revolution is in full swing--no doubt about that. Barnes & Noble, a bookstore, is turning on the pages that have kept its doors open for decades in order to sell its very own e-book reader, not to mention a Plastic Logic reader right beside it (QUE proReader). But are people really ready to start reading again? Seems that way.

According to a report originating in the UK, library membership may be back on the incline now that some are offering e-books. For years now, membership at libraries has been sinking. Think about it--when's the last time your sauntered down to the local library instead of just pulling up when you needed on Google? Or better yet, on your Kindle?

As of today, only a few libraries have started to offer e-books, but those that have are reportedly seeing an uptick in the traffic through the door. Some libraries are even reporting that consumers are emailing in and asking if they can join "virtually," in order to get e-books online. Basically, the scheme works like this: you login to a library's web site, enter your credentials and then download the book to your desktop. Once downloaded, you can then transfer the title to your e-reader to read on the go.


So, do you think you'd be more apt to take advantage of your local library if it offered electronic books?