Book apps are a natural for libraries. I downloaded the istorybook app. It had several children's stories. The first two that I read were both about planting things. One talked about the process of how the seed becomes a plant. The other was about the different parts of the flower. These books might be fun for children to look at--actually the stories were a little dull--but I couldn't really use the device for storytime. The story of Helen Keller was very nice, but when I wanted to read Chicken Little, it said, "premium content" which means I would have to pay for that book. I'm guessing that colorful, clever children's books may cost more than the dull didactic ones.
I also downloaded the Kindle app because I couldn't find "Free Books" at Google Play Store. I found "This side of Paradise" on my device already--guess I must have downloaded it through amazon at one point. When I shopped in the Kindle store to find another book, I saw many books that were similar to what I have bought from amazon and borrowed from Overdrive over the past year or so. It is a little eerie when your device knows who you are right away and can recommend books that you would like. I did search for classics for free from Kindle and I found a book called "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." by Linda Brent. The ability to get classics immediately on a device might be a real game changer for libraries. People will be able to obtain these books easily on their devices so the physical copy may not be used as often. For many people, buying best sellers from amazon or barnes and noble is easier than going to the library. Libraries may end up being for those of less means who are willing to wait for the best seller or for those who don't have these costly devices to obtain books upon.
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