A Regrettable Smithy Worthy Inn.
The above is an anagram for: Try something new at the library.
Granted, it’s not great wordplay — and the reason for the anagram will be made clear – but the Port Hardy branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library does have something new to offer its devotees.
It’s Kobo, an e-reader that allows the borrower to tap into thousands of books.
“It’s no surprise things like the Internet and the easy availability has affected library circulation and (the Kobo) is a way of us reaching readers we might not have normally reached with just print media in the library,” said Nikka Price, circulation supervisor of the local library.
“It’s one more way of bringing in more readers … it’s a way for us to stay relevant.”
Kobos are slim tablets that are given to library customers preloaded with 100 books.
But readers aren’t limited to the preloads, said Price.
“They can go online, they can download books of their choice and read them like they normally would with a hard copy book,” she said.”
“We have anything from new, popular fiction, to manuals on how to fix your vehicle.”
Library staff will teach the uninitiated how to use the book and lenders are able to use the Kobo for three weeks before it must be returned — no extensions.
“We only have two of the Kobos right now and we want to make sure everyone who wants a chance to try them has that chance to try them out and play with them,” Price said.
However, Price said if there was a real strong demand for the e-readers, “we could probably make a case for more here.”
And, oh, Kobo is, of course, an anagram of book.
