With the ever changing forms of technology, the library is now no longer behind its time. It can now be cool to check out material from the library. Today, instead of "checking" out books, movies, etc. we can now download them. At select libraries across the country it is now possible to download videos, music, and electronic books for free. This new system is wildly popular, but not everyone knows about it. This system is still relatively new, but already has over a million downloads. The concept is extremely simple and even the senior citizens who knew of the operation were excited to use it. All you need is your old library card, access to the Internet, and an easy downloadable software program such as Adobe. Once you have downloaded the material you can keep it for one to three weeks, and then it will disappear. The article does not specifically mention how the item downloaded disappears, but I think it would be very interesting to find out.
Once you have your downloaded book or music you can play it on almost any MP3 player, including your iPod. This makes information very convenient and easy to acquire, which is always embraced in today's society. There is also no need to return the material back tot he library, since it automatically is taken off of your computer. This saves gas money and also square footage at the library. If the material is digitalized the library can store even more data, without having to rebuild or find more shelf space. I think this is an amazing way to bring technology back into libraries, and I have no doubt that it will be successful. The Phoenix Public Library has started to pave the way, and has received the 2008 Digital Pioneer Award (http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/pressreleases). The Phoenix library has even surpassed the New York Public Library with its huge selection.
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