By Peter Covino
Entertainment Editor

You can’t always tell a book by its cover – at least not with the dawning of new technology at the Osceola Library System.

The Hart Memorial Central Library in downtown Kissimmee  is now on the fast track to a different way of reading books – the eReader.

Area residents Friday received what was, for some, a first look at eReader technology,  getting  some hands-on time with all of the most popular versions of eReaders, including the Amazon Kindle, the Nook (Barnes and Noble) and the Sony Reader.

It is the first step in a new age at the library, David Barnett, library services director, said.

The reception at the central library attracted a couple dozen area residents to what Barnett called a kind of “petting zoo” for the cutting edge technology.

The library has purchased eight eReaders and they are available for checkout, free.

The eReader devices that can be borrowed, much the same as a book, except with an eReader, the books are contained within the devices. The Nook Color eReader, for example, has a capacity of up to 5,000 ebooks.

Those attending the reception could examine each eReader device at a different station, ask questions, and more. At the end of the reception there was a special bonus: eight of those attending became the very first Osceola County Public Library cardholders to take home a reader of their own to try out for a week.

“I don’t know anything about them,” Kissimmee resident Pam Smigowski said, as she examined the Kobo book reader, “but I am learning a lot. I want to know something about each of them before I spend any money.”

St. Cloud resident Victoria Gault said the day’s event was “a lot like test-driving a car.”

“I know I want one. This way I can try them all. I only hope I can afford the one I want,” she said.

And a test drive is a major point of the library’s endeavor, Barnett said.

While library users are encouraged to use the available readers free of charge, officials are hoping residents will embrace the new technology and buy readers of their own.

The next step in the program: sometime this summer, the library system will launch the Overdrive 2 media system.

Once the system is in place, library users will be able to download hundreds and eventually  thousands of books titles online, Jennifer Sargent, library manager, said.

Already in use at some major libraries across the United States, the system lets book fans download a book from the comfort of home, at the office, or anywhere they have Internet access.

All it takes is your library card, Barnett said.

“Our website (www.osceolalibrary.org)will become another branch of the library,” he said.

While eReader technology will mean added convenience for book enthusiasts, it also has pluses for the library.

“We don’t need to take up any shelf space,” he said.

The system will work much the same as it does with hardcover library books, Barnett said.

Readers can browse titles online, and if a title is available, they can download it. The library will have licensed copies of the titles. If all of the licensed copies have been taken, you can get on the request list for the book, the same kind of system in operation for books or other materials at county library branches.

A title downloaded to a reading device will be available for two weeks. After that, the license will expire and the book becomes available to another reader, he said.

There are other pluses for book lenders as well.

Gone are the days of library fines for overdue or lost books. You can’t lose a book or return it late.

Of course, borrowing an eReader device is a bit more tricky. The lender is responsible for its replacement if it were broken or lost.

The eReaders currently will only be available at the downtown Kissimmee main branch of the library. They are available to all residents who hold a county library card, but they can only be picked up and returned to the Kissimmee library.

Eventually, if the program proves successful, the library plans on buying more eReaders and making them available to other county branches, Barnett said.

Here is a brief rundown on the eReader devices  card holders can borrow:

The Nook Wifi: This a 6-inch  display device that connects to a WiFi, including home Internet service. It has a 2GB storage, which equates to 1,500 ebooks. The Nook WiFi has memory expansion slots of up to 16GB micro SD cards. And the battery life is up to 10 days. Retail price: $149.

Nook Color: The most expensive of eReader available at the library, it features a 7-inch color touch screen. It also is WiFi enabled and has an internal memory of 8GB, which equals about 5,000 ebooks. It has an up to 32GB memory expansion with a microSD card.  It has a battery life up up to eight hours and a retail price of $249.

Kindle3 WiFi: The Kindle has a six-inch display and internal memory of 4GB or about 3,500 ebooks. Memory expansion is not available. The battery life is up to one month and it has a retail price of $139.

The Kobo is the least expensive of all of the models at $139 retail. It has a 6-inch display screen, WiFi and an internal memory of 2GB, which is about 1,000 books. The Kobo has a memory slot for up to a 32GB SD cards The battery life is up to 10 days.

For comparison purposes, the event also featured the Sony Reader Pocket, another touchscreen model, but the Reader Pocket (retail price $179), is not available for lending. It does not have a WiFi feature. You can download directly with a WiFi model, non-WiFi eReaders require a computer for downloads. After downloading a book to the computer, you attach the reader via a USB cord and transfer the download. The Sony Pocket Reader has  2GB internal memory, about 1,000 eBooks, and battery life or about two weeks.

If the technology is a bit intimidating for those who are not too technology-inclined, library staff  will help with the process of using the devices as well.

While the library will not have any new titles available until the launch of the Overdrive 2 system, there are free books available online and the library staff can supply links to those sites.

In addition, if you  purchase your own eReader before the library Overdrive 2 system becomes operational, you can download  for purchase new titles on line at websites such as Amazon, for the Kindle, and from Barnes and Noble for the Nook.

For updates, additional workshops on eReader devices and more information on the library’s technology  advances, go to www.osceolalibrary.org.