The iPad is coming to a library near you.

Even if like me you are a member of the ABBA club, (Anything But Bloody Apple), there is no doubt that in the world of smart phones the success of the iPhone has been phenomenal.

The iPhone and other internet capable touch screen phones enable users to access a myriad of information, with many web sites offering versions specifically designed for mobile consumption.

In a previous post on the Sutherland Shire Libraries News
http://blog.sutherlandlibrary.com/2010/07/read-newspapers-and-magazines-on-your.html
Karen blogged about using a smart phone to access newspapers and magazines via Ebscomobile. Being able to access journal articles from your phone is amazing but the small screen is not ideal for reading at length.

A much better reading experience is of course available via a laptop computer.
However in the area of portability, compared to a smart phone, laptops are quite heavy and have a limited battery life.
Whilst tablet computers are not new, once again, in a triumph of marketing, Apple have come up with a device which will change how millions of us acess information, the iPad.
Only this time, unlike smart phones, the iPad and the other forthcoming tablet devices are likely to have a significant influence in libraries.
In the main, libraries do not create content - they organise it and make it available for consumption by library users.

Right now from our library you can download and borrow ten audio books and carry them around on your MP3 player.
How long before you can download the latest interactive issue of ten of your favourite magazines to read on your iPad?
And the iPad has the potential to make the static content of a magazine come alive through sound and video.

See a video demo of what the future holds for magazines on tablets like the iPhone on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntyXvLnxyXk

And read more at the excellent Radical Patron: http://www.radicalpatron.com/ipad-isgamechanger-for-libraries/

cheers,

Max