First Library in India to lend Amozon Kindles

KOZHIKODE: The 75-year-old Desaposhini Public Library here has created history of sorts by becoming the first in the entire country to lend pocket-sized Amazon Kindles to its members. Each member can borrow an e-book reader - a Kindle can accommodate as many as 3,000 books-- for up to 20 days.

"We started the initiative after we got five Amazon Kindles as donation. The main intention was to attract the young generation to reading. The initial feedback has been very promising. The entire community is upbeat and we are flooded with enquiries for membership mostly from the youth," said Krishna Kumar, president of the library.

He said that the library, which has a membership base of 8,000, has amassed a collection of 2.4 lakh e-books. "We think that by embracing the digital revolution we can make the library more attractive to the tech-oriented younger generation," he said.

A P Karthik, who donated the e-readers, said that over two lakh e-books have either been purchased from Amazon or belonged to the free books category without any copyright issues. The library also has plans to digitize rare books. "We are eagerly waiting for the response of our readers. If they are open to adapt to the new system then we will think of adding more titles,"Krishna Kumar said, adding that they had approached the government and MPs to raise funds for the project.

But already the digital reading culture has many takers in the city. "It is like walking home with a library. First I had apprehensions on reading whole books on e-readers, but the device with its unique screen provided a very comfortable reading experience. It is similar to reading a book in your hand with the added convenience of knowing you have ten other books that you can switch to at any moment, said Suchitra Karthik.

Library officials are chalking out a viable lending mechanism for the hi-tech gadgets which cost $100 each. "We are thinking of getting the devices insured and taking a deposit from members to make the devices accessible for all," Krishna Kumar said.

Source: Times of India