SERVICES: Libraries reinvent themselves to stay relevant

Like regular books, e-books can be borrowed for a few weeks. Then the book deletes itself from the borrower's computer, e-reader or mobile phone.

E-book collections at U.S. libraries grew nearly 60 percent between 2005 and 2008, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. During the same period, libraries' print collections grew less than 1 percent, though ink-on-paper works still make up 98 percent of U.S. libraries' holdings.

Joan Frye Williams, a library consultant and futurist, believes that the underlying purpose of libraries will not change, even if bookshelves disappear.

"Saying that there's a challenge to libraries because books are changing would be like saying there's a challenge to family dinner because plates are changing," she said.

Digital technology is also allowing libraries to digitize large swaths of their collections, creating a virtual library accessible from any computer.

Libraries are leading the effort to scan centuries' worth of rare, unique and fragile materials as varied as medieval religious manuscripts and antique phone books ---- whatever they've kept in the basement.

Libraries are reluctant to digitize new bestsellers and other books still in copyright ---- roughly anything published since 1923. But there remains a vast trove of classic books, government documents, historical papers and other material not covered by copyright that libraries can scan without fear of litigation. Many of these digital books and documents can be searched, read and even downloaded free.

Still, the universal digital library, where users anywhere can access any book, movie or album, is years away. One hurdle is money. Many public library administrators say they don't have the funds to make a full-scale conversion to digital books and related equipment, including e-readers that could be lent to patrons.

Piracy concerns have also limited the supply of popular new titles. None of the best-selling "Harry Potter" books, for example, is available in a digital version. Publishers and some authors are concerned that books, once online, can easily be copied and shared without authorization.

In other cases, such as with the new Jonathan Franzen bestseller "Freedom," the book is available to consumers as an e-book, but the publisher does not offer electronic versions to libraries. The book's publisher, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, declined to comment on whether piracy concerns affected its decision to hold the digital version of "Freedom" out of libraries.

Libraries have been building their digital collections by stocking electronic versions of century-old classics not covered by copyright and so-called back-catalog books unlikely to appeal to book pirates, including an array of "how-to" and other nonfiction titles. But when it comes to bestsellers, the digital cupboard is often bare.

Some in the library community worry that libraries could be wiped out by the same technological revolution that threatens video rental, music and book stores, whose wares can now be downloaded in a fraction of the time it takes to drive three blocks and find a parking space.

In response, public libraries in particular are looking to become more like community centers.

At Rangeview in Colorado, visitors can help cultivate the library's garden, take classes on how to use Facebook or attend "Harry Potter"-themed rock concerts on the library floor.


