The demand for e-books in libraries has steadily increased, and local libraries have done their best to meet patrons’ needs.

The DeKalb Public Library offers e-audio books, but no books downloadable to e-readers. The library is, however, hoping to purchase a subscription to an e-reader online database by July 2011.

“We’re looking into it,” said Teresa Iverson, head of Reference at the DeKalb Public Library. “It’s budget issues that’s been holding us back.”

If the library were to purchase an online subscription to a database, card-holding members of the library would be able to go online with their personal computers and download e-books for free.

“There’s a huge interest, Iverson said. “We have recieved many requests for e-books.”

NIU’s library system has online books.

“We have quite a number,” said Byron Anderson , associate dean of public services. “We work through databases and buy package deals.”

The University’s e-books are not downloadable to e-readers, but rather can only be read while logged on to the database with a Z-ID.

NIU currently subscribes to the online book collection databases Ebrary and Netlibrary.

Students can access these programs from any computer through the library’s website.

“Ebrary is defiantly the more powerful of the two, you can highlight sections, print them out or come back to them,” Anderson said.

Students and faculty can use both databases to look for a book they might want. Together the databases have a plethora of books to choose from.

“Collectively, we have about 10,000 titles, not all are for research, some are for pleasure reading,” Anderson said.