Perhaps the most popular item under the Christmas tree was an eReader. In the past three years, the sales of eReaders and eBooks have skyrocketed.
According to Amazon's postChristmas 2011 press release, gifting of Kindle books was up 175 per cent compared to the same period in 2010, and Christmas Day was the biggest day ever for Kindle book downloads.
Kobo also posted record high sales numbers for the holiday season. According their press release, registered users nearly doubled in six weeks, there was a 500 per cent increase in e-gifting from November to December, and gifting of eBooks was up over 200 per cent compared to the same time last year.
Electronic books from the library have been just as popular with use almost tripling since December of 2010.
If you got an eReader for Christmas, check out our virtual library. A link from New Westminster Public Library (www. nwpl.ca) takes you to the Library to Go website, which was created by a consortium of B.C. public libraries.
Make sure you have a library card from your home library, and once you download the software that allows you to read copyright protected books, you can check out a book, download it and transfer it to an eReader. (Take note that at this time Amazon Kindles cannot be used to borrow library eBooks in Canada.)
You can also borrow library eBooks (and audiobooks) on a mobile device - iPod touch, iPhone, Blackberry, Android as well as tablets. Just download the mobile app for the OverDrive Media Console.
Since it's all wireless, you can borrow a book at any time, no matter where you are.
If you want to know more about borrowing library eBooks, the New Westminster Public Library is offering eBook clinics every Saturday in January from 1: 30 to 4: 30 p.m.
Drop in and find out how you can borrow and read books on the go.
The best part about eBooks is that they check themselves back in, so there are no overdue fines.
