The Skinny on eBooks

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Link to March 8 digital library blog post by Cindy Orr, "Who reads eBooks? You may be surprised..."

Excerpt: Surveys are beginning to give us a picture of the eBook reading community. Here are some things we've learned:

• 70% of Kindle owners are older than 40.
• Baby Boomers, the most avid readers, recognize that eBook readers allow them to carry far more reading material and read it more comfortably (increased font sizes, ease of turning pages for arthritic hands).
• eBook reader consumers are very cost conscious.
• This may be one of the few technologies that trickle down from an older generation to a younger one. Older users have adopted eBook readers and Twitter more quickly than the younger generation. eBook use may spread to younger people...or a variation might trickle down. It may turn out, for instance, that older readers will choose single purpose devices like the Sony Reader, and younger people may choose a multi-function device like the Apple iPad. We'll have to see how that turns out.

Orr then offers some suggestions for librarians.