E-Readers & E-Books in Public Libraries: Measuring Library Patron Expectations

In the rapidly changing world of e-Readers and e-Books, it is extremely difficult for public libraries to have a strong understanding of current patron experiences with these technologies. This report starts with a quick overview of the history of e-Readers, e-Books, and library technology adoption, as well as current trends and issues. A significant number of library users were anxious to participate in the survey and detail their experiences. Library Administrators should be astonished to find out that many users have borrowed e-Books and e-Readers from public libraries. Few users experienced any difficulty in using these new technologies on their own, contrary to popular belief. Most importantly, almost all public library users find these technologies to be valuable both now and in the future. The information discovered in this research project should be difficult for any library Administrator to ignore.