BE it a Kindle, Kobo or iPad, many people received e-readers this holiday season.
And while their sleek design is something to admire, turning the device over and over in your hands because you don't know how to turn it on is not how it was meant to be used.
For those new to the electronic book world, West Vancouver Memorial Library is offering classes to help the uninitiated navigate their new technology toys.
"In our library we always like to anticipate what our patrons are going to be interested in next," says Sue Kent, web co-ordinator at the library. She explains that the library offers classes with hands-on experience because technology is always changing and people need help keeping up.
"We're constantly adding new classes," she says, noting e-books started getting really popular about two years ago, and more people were asking about them at the library.
The library's support of e-readers is part of its broader technology initiative that includes making the library a place where people can go to get help with their technology whether it's e-books or finding information, she adds.
The two upcoming classes offered are Introduction to E-readers and Getting Started with Library To Go E-books.
Introduction to E-readers is a class for those who want to learn more about e-readers. Participants may not even own one yet, but they may want to find out what e-readers are all about. The class discusses consumer information about various devices, what's on the market, the differences between devices, what e-books the library offers, what e-books are free on the web and more.
"It's a really comprehensive course," says Kent.
There are also a number of devices available during the free class for participants to try.
The sessions are about two hours long. Outside of classes, the library has Kindles that can be borrowed just like a library book. They come with about 25 titles loaded on them. There are also youth Kindles with titles of interest to young readers.
Getting Started with Library To Go E-books is a seminar offered at the library that explores Library To Go, a collection of e-books shared among different libraries in the province.
With a library card, patrons can log in, search for titles, and put e-books on hold like any other book, or check them out and download them for a certain amount of time.
"Library to go is a huge collection. It's literally thousands of titles," says Kent. It mirrors the regular collection but is not as complete because some titles are not available yet as e-books. "We try to offer as many titles as we can," says Kent.
The next Introduction to E-readers class is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 17, 10 a.m. Registration is not required.
