People across the Channel Islands have been praising the e-book lending services used by the islands’ libraries.
Chloe Browning, from Guernsey, said e-books caused her less wrist pain and fewer headaches than traditional books, because of her hypermobility.
“Books weigh a lot,” she explained, “I’d have a book in my bag, but it’d be really heavy – and then I’d get all beaten up.”
Miss Browning has several e-book readers and takes out books from Guille-Allès Library using their BorrowBox app.
An avid reader – she finished 135 books last year – mainly goes for “girl fantasy” novels, such as dystopian or fantasy romance.
She often chooses “short and crap” books, which give her brain a rest from the demands of her day job in the IT department of Guernsey’s airline, Aurigny.
Catherine Stuart, from Guille-Allès Library, said nearly 50,000 e-books were taken out last year, along with nearly 150,000 digital newspapers and magazines.
The top genres were ‘crime & thriller’, ‘general fiction’ and ‘romance’, while the top newspaper titles were ‘The Daily Telegraph’ and ‘The Daily Mail’.
The library uses Sora and Libby apps for children’s books, PressReader for newspapers and magazines and BorrowBox for e-books and audio books aimed at adults.
Ms Stuart said audiobooks were hugely popular, as they removed “barriers for ‘reluctant readers'”.
“When you’re busy, you might be doing the housework or you might have to take the dog for a walk – you can [listen to an audiobook] at the same time.”
Anna Symons, library’s Marketing and Communications Officer, said many people like to “both listen along and also read along”, including her own mother.
“Sometimes she likes having just the words in front of her,” Ms Symons explains, “But she also likes the audio.”
One of the messages of the National Year of Reading, which the library is helping to organise in Guernsey, is that “it all counts”, she said.
Linda Houze, from Jersey, is a long-term library user but hadn’t been inside the building in “probably nine or ten months, because I’m doing it all online – which is so much more convenient”.
The former finance professional, from Grouville, took early retirement and now often listens to rented audio books while she’s walking her dogs or cleaning – in addition to reading e-books.
Environmental benefits
As well as being a “real advocate” of e-book libraries, Mrs Houze is a fan of the environmental benefits.
“Why would you waste resources on printing for it to sit on a shelf and never be seen again?
“Obviously it gives people a lot of joy, but it’s expensive and it’s also a waste of resources – compared to online where you’re not creating any environmental impact at all.”
Jersey’s Chief Librarian, Ed Jewell, told Express the library had evolved into a “24/7 digital platform”.
“Whether someone wants a bestselling novel at midnight, language-learning courses, or reliable research materials, the library is available whenever they are,” he said.
Jersey Library uses the Libby app for fiction and non-fiction books, BorrowBox for audiobooks, and Lote4Kids for children’s books.
Removes barriers
People were “usually surprised by just how simple it is” to set up and use e-book library apps, Mr Jewell said.
“They’re also often impressed by the quality and breadth of the collections: everything from bestsellers and classics to wellbeing titles, travel guides and children’s books.”
Mr Jewell said digital access removed “many traditional barriers to reading” for disabled people, elderly people and those living in rural parishes.
“Adjustable text size, dyslexia-friendly fonts, built-in narration, and the ability to listen while travelling or doing other tasks all support different reading preferences and needs,” he added.
How do e-book libraries work?
Just like traditional libraries, e-book libraries have a finite number of books in their collection.
When one reader takes the e-book, it’s taken ‘off the shelf’ until they’ve returned it.
If a book you want has already been checked out by someone local, then you can reserve it.
But unlike a paper book, there’s no problem with the person before you ‘forgetting’ to bring their book back – it just gets deleted from their e-reader.
Getting set up is super simple and very quick, download the right app to your phone, tablet or e-book reader, pick the Guernsey or Jersey library, and then type in your library card number, and that’s it!
So, should you give e-book libraries a go? Mrs Houze certainly thinks so, “It’s amazing – it’s so good,” she said.