The King County Library System has installed two e-book terminals at the SeaTac airport. Two brightly colored OverDrive Media Stations are available near Concourses A and D. Passengers who already have a KCLS library card will be able to check out downloadable eBooks and audiobooks just like they can in the library. Passengers without a KCLS library card will be able to checkout two titles–FREE–on the spot, in the airport. Each title will expire and disappear from all devices seven days after downloading, which provides ample time to consume whatever media you download.
More than 42 million travelers passed through SeaTac in 2015, including a high number of area residents. Airport eBook kiosks enable travelers to enjoy quality reading on their journeys. And there’s a strategic reason: KCLS wants to reach this diverse user group in the community—beyond library buildings—and make it easy to use downloadable books.
There is no word on how long these terminals will be in place. If they prove to be successful the library might make them a fixture in the airport because it might bring in an entirely new demographic to borrow digital content remotely from the King County Library System.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
