As electronic devices become a common way to read books and do research, a western Wisconsin public library is keeping up. Eau Claire’s L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library is now lending out iPads. Director John Stoneberg believes it may be the first library in the country to let patrons check the devices out. “Each of the iPads will come preloaded with one-thousand classic e-book titles, ten audio books and dozens of free apps,” Stoneberg says.
A $50,000 grant from the Presto Foundation paid for the iPads, which are available to check out for a week at a time. Stoneberg says the devices are helpful for the vision-impaired. And it’s not the first time the library has been on the cutting edge. Back in 1982, it was the first place in the city you could find a video tape.
Dan Lea, WAYY
