Tablet computing

I was one of 5 people in a meeting last week with the college’s Distance Education department and realized that all of us owned tablets – not just iPads, but a variety of brands and models. Tablet owners in our patron base are definitely not in the majority, but it’s encouraging that tablets are appearing to become more accessible technology.

I got a Touchpad when they were discontinued a while back and have since made some adjustments to it for more optimal functioning, but it still sort of amazes me that my tablet has more computing power than my 2 year old netbook. One of the more features I’ve used the most with it has been the Kindle app – this surprised me since I’d held out on getting myself an e-reader for so long because I didn’t know if I’d like it or use it enough to warrant the purchase.

Our library has a few e-readers that circulate, but apart from that our electronic books aren’t really accessed or downloaded as often as we’d like. It’s encouraging that the growing popularity of multi-purpose tablet computers may actually help us get more use out of those collections.

Also, when more noble pursuits have exhausted themselves, they’re pretty great for doodling.