Frank Curry for The New York Times Dennis Dillon, head of collections and information resources at the library of the University of Texas in Austin, says he is surprised at the popularity of the university's newly purchased electronic books.
Circulation is down.
Turnstiles are moving at a slower pace at the most populous campus in the United States. We were somewhat skeptical. Usually a book has a one-third chance of being checked out. It is investing in the evolving electronic frontier of the book market, which is preparing for rapid change despite widespread skepticism that the vast majority of readers are truly ready to cuddle up to a good byte. And traditional publishers are cautiously preparing for an uncharted future, digitizing thousands of old backlist titles in preparation for an e-new world where books can live forever because they will never go out of print.