MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
July 2, 2010, Friday
FLICKING through well-thumbed and yellowing paperbacks could soon be a thing of the past as Edinburgh libraries prepare to roll out their first electronic lending scheme.
With so-called eBooks becoming more popular, the city's libraries will soon be offering a wide range of books to download for a short spell.
Library members will be able to access the library catalogue remotely through the new YourLibrary online portal, and when the rental period expires the book will simply disappear from their device. The system removes the need to physically borrow and return books, and the automatic deletion removes the misery of overdue fees.
Liz McGettigan, the city council's head of libraries and information services, said: "Most people are getting into technology these days and this is something that our libraries have been keeping up with.
"People who buy books in bookshops are the same people who borrow from libraries and, in the same way, those that buy eBooks online would also consider borrowing them for a short-term download.
"It's early days yet as we've had a few technical difficulties getting the system up and running, but there's no rush because eBooks are still in their infancy.
"It's a bit like the battle between VHS and Betamax videos. There are so many different formats out there with no agreed standard, so producing something that works for everyone is still a bit off.
"The eBook system is just a part of our new virtual library portal, which is really easy to use and makes it simple for new people to join the library and browse our catalogue.
"We've now got one of the most innovative interactive library portals in Scotland, which is pretty amazing.
"However, it definitely won't spell the end of books altogether. We will always stock paperback and hardback books because people will always want to read them in this format, regardless of whatever new technology comes along."
As well as offering the service for eBook readers the portal will be available on any computer browser and some books will also be available in MP3 format, for audio book download on to an iPod or similar device.
Jim Thompson, the city's digital and information manager, said: "The cost of eBooks will be about 20 per cent of the cost of the money we're currently spending on audio books.
"The books are bought in by publication and there are restrictions in place on the browser to prevent people just cutting-and-pasting them into a word- processing file and keeping them for good."
A small selection of books are now available for download from the Bloomsbury Publications catalogue, accessible through the portal, with current titles including Sheila Hancock's memoir of her life with Inspector Morse actor John Thaw, entitled The Two of Us, and model-author-celebrity chef Sophie Dahl's novel Playing With The Grown Ups.
Librarians hope to have more than 50 titles online by the end of the year.
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