PROVIDENCE – Local library consortium Ocean State Libraries was awarded a $6,000 grant to increase resources available to patrons at the E-Zone Digital download center, OSL announced last week.
“We are thrilled that this grant has allowed us to expand the number of libraries offering this service to nine. Because of this grant, we have boosted our overall downloadable collection by more than 5 percent,” said Lisa Davis, assistant director of the Ocean State Libraries. “We anticipate that within five years, Rhode Island patrons will download more than 500,000 books, music or video [files] annually.”
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Patrons have enjoyed access to e-materials, including iPod compatible books such as “I am Charlotte Simmons” by Tom Wolfe and “Ida B” by Katherine Hannigan, for several years.
Five-thousand dollars of the grant is allocated to increasing the number of copies of books already available and purchasing new titles, a library spokeswoman said. Nearly 400 eBooks will be available in the EPUB format compatible with devices such as Sony Readers, Barnes & Noble Nook and Border’s Kobo.
Additionally, four E-Zone Download Stations were purchased with $1,000 of the funding. The stations are an extension of the OSL’s E-Zone website. Previously, patrons needed a home computer with a high-speed Internet connection in order to use the E-Zone.
The stations will be installed at the Cranston Public Library, North Providence Union Free Library, North Kingstown Free Library and Newport Public Library.
The grant was awarded by the R.I. Office of Library and Information Services under the federal Library Services and Technology Act funds.
