The West Vancouver Memorial Library is making techno-literary history: on Monday, July 12, they added six Amazon Kindle eReaders to their paper-and-ink book collection. As far as they can tell, they’re the first library in Canada to make the technology available to borrowers.

The eReader pilot project includes five Kindles that are available to borrow just like any book in the stacks. One will remain in-house for reference and tutorials.

Michelle Sproule, a librarian at the West Vancouver Library, notes how “curious” patrons are about the new technology.

“It’s a great way for people to explore the Kindle” she says, especially for those who don’t want to commit to buying one right away.

For the West Van Library’s typically more mature demographic, a no-strings-attached test drive of the Kindle – which allows users to increase font size as desired – has been very well received.

As soon as the project was announced, a waiting list started to form: so far, 23 holds have been placed.

Checking out a Kindle is akin to borrowing a miniature library. They’re loaded with over fifty titles, including works by bestselling authors like Barbara Kingsolver, James Patterson, Roald Dahl, and Malcolm Gladwell. There are also a number of pre-loaded titles by Canadian authors: Annabel Lyon’s The Golden Mean and Margaret Atwood’s Writing with Intent are among the eReader’s current offerings.

While the West Van location may be the first in Canada to lend out eReaders, Sproule says there are other libraries “not far behind.”

Shannon Smart is completing a practicum at The Tyee.