Friends of the
Moscow Library Announce New eBook Program
Through the generosity of the Latah
County Community Foundation, the Friends of
the Moscow Library has received a $5000 grant to implement an eBook
program this fall. Equipped with twelve Franklin eBookman readers, the Friends,
in conjunction with the University of Idaho, will offer a classes starting
October 14. “Participants will learn all about the cutting edge of
electronic book technology, how to locate and download eBooks on the Internet.
Participants will also learn how to create, convert, and publish eBooks for
distribution,” says Tim Hillebrand, facilitator of the workshop.
“Our mission is to educate our patrons about eBooks and to improve their
e-Literacy.”
Rather than measure the success of the
program by how many books are checked out, we will use this opportunity as an
educational outreach program that educates as many people as possible on the
use and advantages of eBooks over traditional tree books. One of our goals is
to work with the young people in the Moscow school system to introduce them to
eBooks and to publish their material in electronic book format for download and
distribution. You could, before long, be reading your child’s or
grandchild’s first published work that you can check out of the library
on a reader or download from home on your own computer. We hope that
teachers will take advantage of this class so that they can teach their
students how to make electronic publications.
“We’re really excited about the possibilities,”
continues Hillebrand. “The way we plan to launch the program is through
an eBook Club sponsored by the Friends of the Moscow Library. In this way, we
will have no impact on the library staff. The eBook club will be completely
responsible for administering the program, as well as establishing rules and
policies. We face many challenges never before confronted, such as security,
choice of material, and censoring. What material should be put on the readers?
Should each one be dedicated to a different genre such as classics, best
selling novels, romances, westerns, mysteries, etc.? Or should each contain a
variety of works? We hope that through this program people will want to buy
their own readers. Obviously the library cannot afford to supply readers for
all patrons, but we can point the way and help people to become e-Literate.
If you would like to participate in the
classes, call the University of Idaho Enrichment Program at 208-885-6486 or if
you want to become an eBook Club member, call Tim Hillebrand at 208-883-8814 or
email him at
