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up e-readers such as Kindles and Nooks, librarians have done what they can to serve those new readers of e-readers.
• "Popular demand simply required us to keep abreast of these new technologies," Dixon said.
• Libraries in both Dakotas have joined statewide consortia to get e-books at better prices. "We pay a fee, and people can bring in their e-readers and check out books (at no cost)," Satrang said.
• One of the challenges for library patrons and librarians themselves is knowing how to use and make the most of the new technology. Librarians have come to expect a flood of questions in the days after Christmas as people try to sort out how to use the e-readers they received as gifts. Some have held training sessions just for the use of e-readers--in Clark, 22 people attended a recent South Dakota Titles To Go class.
• And if librarians need training themselves on these topics, the state library associations offer that, Peterson said.
• Not all rural libraries are able to offer e-books yet. Groton, for example, needs to upgrade their equipment before they can offer that service, Lowary said.
• "If you have a small budget, it's kind of out of reach," Brunskill said. "We have to balance the cost of e-books against hardcover books."
• Libraries also serve as a place for the public to use the Internet, and setting up that system can take technical expertise that many librarians don't have. Money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has funded broadband initiatives nationwide that can help with that.
• In South Dakota, the S.D. Broadband Initiative provides a free technological assessment for all community anchor institutions, which includes libraries but also applies to city offices, health care facilities, YMCAs and more. Then those institutions can apply for a grant to help with needed technology upgrades. In North Dakota, the

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