How would you feel about a library where you the book you wanted to read was never checked out, you could keep it as long as you liked, and never had to return it?
The University of Virginia has made this dream a reality with their Electronic Text Center. Anyone from anywhere in the world can access over 2,000 titles to read in HTML or eBook format (Palm Reader and Microsoft Reader). According to the site, millions of copies have been downloaded by people in over 100 different countries.
The eBook library contains titles in the public domain- in other words, old stuff. Are you too hip for old stuff? What if you get the urge to read (or re-read) Alice in Wonderland, Around the World in Eighty Days, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? You could rediscover the fun of a Sherlock Holmes mystery, or read that Shakespearian play that always embarrasses you when friends assume you know it. Books I've mentioned recently available at the eBook library include Frankenstein and Dracula. There are some gems in these 2000+ titles just waiting to be downloaded or read online.
But what if you want to read something written since the advent of TV dinners? Electronic library models, such as that used by Fictionwise solve this problem by allowing donors to purchase eBook copies that membered patrons may borrow for a short period of time. You don't have to return your copy or worry about fines- but the book will no longer be legible after the due date.
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