The portable e-book: Issues with e-book reading devices in the library

Abstract

With the release of e-readers from Sony and Amazon, libraries have new ways of distributing digital content to their patrons. The option of a lightweight, portable device that can hold dozens of books at a time and has a screen that is as readable as paper offers great promise for libraries looking to provide more titles with limited physical space.The benefit from these devices is balanced by the problems in altering current policies to handle these new devices. What is the appropriate loan policy for them? How should libraries change their acquisitions policies to include devices that allow every user potentially to add new content? And how do libraries catalog the titles on the devices?