Fresno library sees upswing in book downloads

For the past 18 months, the Fresno County Public Library has been steadily building its e-book program, which gives readers instant access to more than 40,000 online books.

With just a couple clicks on a website, readers can access books without ever setting foot in a library.

Demand is growing. In 2011, the number of e-book users jumped from 136 users in January to 556 in December. Those readers checked out more than 10,000 e-books and e-audiobooks during the year.

The increased interest in e-books in Fresno mirrors what's happening across the country. The Association of American Publishers reports e-book sales now account for almost 10% of the total $28 billion in consumer book sales. That's an 18% jump in e-book sales from the previous year. Growth was fueled by reduced prices for e-readers and an increase in titles available.

The Washington Post recently reported that libraries are seeing accelerated growth rates, pointing to Maryland where "the number of e-book checkouts across the state almost quadrupled" to 266,000 last year and to Fairfax County, Va., where officials report demand for e-books has tripled.

In Fresno, Collection Development Supervisor Terry Sterling says the library's online outlet for checking out books is just the latest way for the library to meet consumer demands.

"When record albums were big we had them. Then there were VHS tapes," Sterling says. "Although devices like the Kindle are still a luxury device, we are seeing more and more demand for the e-books."

Despite the growth, the money spent on e-books is a fraction of the library's usage. Only about $50,000 of the library's $2.5 million budget last year was spent on electronic publications. Sterling expects that number to double this year as usage grows, and says it should continue to increase as long as the demand and funding are there.

To access the e-books, all you need is an electronic device, such as the Barnes & Noble Nook, Amazon Kindle, Apple iPhone or iPad and Microsoft Zune, plus a Fresno County Public Library card. Titles are available on the library's website, fresnolibrary.org, under the "download books" section. Users can browse the books and see what's available for checkout and if there's a waiting list. Selected books are downloaded to the e-reader devices with just a click.

"We buy an e-book just like we buy a printed book. So, if we have only one copy of an e-book, then only one person can check it out at a time," Sterling says.

The electronic system means no more late fees because e-books can only be kept for three weeks before they're automatically returned to the library and made available to those on the waiting list. Users are limited to checking out three e-books at a time and can only be on five waiting lists.

It's up to Sterling and her staff of three librarians and one assistant to buy new e-books about every two weeks. More than 4,000 e-books have been purchased at a cost, Sterling says, that's comparable to buying a publication in a printed form.

There are an additional 34,000 titles in public domain that also are available through the library, including such titles as Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass," William Shakespeare's "All's Well That Ends Well" and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes."

Fresno's Kelli Glazebrook has been one of the biggest patrons of the new library service.

"When I travel, I don't have to decide which book to take and which to leave behind. I have literally hundreds of books that I can take along with me that weigh less than a paperback. And the library is helping me by letting me check out these e-books for free," Glazebrook says.