New research from Harris Interactive shows that 15 percent of Americans now own an iPad, Kindle, Nook or some other device for reading eBooks, up from eight percent last year. The research also shows that a similar percentage are likely to purchase some type of e-reader in the next six months.
Harris also found that people with e-readers are much more likely to buy books than those who don't own the devices. While 32 percent of Americans have not bought a book in the past year, only six percent of those with an e-Reader have done the same. Thirty-four percent of people with an e-reader bought 10 or more books in the past year compared to 17 percent of those without the devices.
The Harris findings came just ahead of an Amazon.com announcement that Kindle books can be borrowed from more than 11,000 libraries across the U.S.
"Starting today, millions of Kindle customers can borrow Kindle books from their local libraries," said Jay Marine, director, Amazon Kindle, in a press release. "Libraries are a critical part of our communities and we're excited to be making Kindle books available at more than 11,000 local libraries around the country. We're even doing a little extra here -- normally, making margin notes in library books is a big no-no. But we're fixing this by extending our Whispersync technology to library books, so your notes, highlights and bookmarks are always backed up and available the next time you check out the book or if you decide to buy the book."