HARRISON, N.Y. With digital media becoming more and more relevant, Harrison Public Library is taking a step into the future by making Nooks available for rent starting Thursday.
Library Director Galina Chernykh hopes the electronic readers will get more people to read.
Were not trying to have a promotion for the nook or Barnes and Noble, our goal is to promote a different format and encourage people to read, Chernykh said. There are a lot of educational apps that teens and middle-schoolers can use and wed really like to be successful with what we have.
With funds from The New York Special Legislative Grant, the library was able to purchase eight nooks to use as rentals. Of those, five are Nook Touches and three are Nook Colors.
Were going to target families with Nook Color and adults with Nook Touch, Chernykh said. For right now weve decided not to circulate the Nook for teens, its only for adults and families with kids. Because theyre so pricey we want to make sure well get them back.
Convenience is a major reason the Nook has become so popular, especially with travel.
Especially in this community, its fantastic because there are a lot of commuters who use the train, Chernykh said. They can take it on the train and read it and they dont have to carry hard-cover or paperback books.
Chernykh also mentioned that people with bad eyesight can benefit from the Nook \because of the ability to magnify the text.
As far as the future of the Nook goes, Chernykh thinks digital books will continue to grow in popularity.
Every household has a TV and refrigerator and years ago not every house did, but eventually it came, Chernykh said. I will not push people and will not force them to use it because it will eventually come because of curiosity.
Do you use an electronic reader? Do you prefer it over traditional books? Comment below.
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