Emags

In the fall of 2012, I received a disturbing letter from Newsweek. They announced that the magazine was going all digital and would no longer offer print issues after Dec. 31. "This might be well and good for individuals with smartphones, home computers, etc," I thought, "but what does this mean for libraries - especially in rural, Title I schools? Where Newsweek goes, other magazines will follow." So I did what librarians do; I started researching.  I talked with my magazine vendor, my ebook vendor, and even the good folks at GALILEO. Nobody was doing emags!

Finally, I contacted Newsweek... "Hello! What are libraries supposed to do?" They told me to talk to Zinio, who was carrying their digital subscriptions. And that led, eventually, to the good folks at Recorded Books who had just started up a digital magazine subscription service for libraries, public libraries. Long story made short... We are one of three high school libraries in the U. S. offering digital magazines. Here is our subscription list:

Taste of Home

Seventeen

Scholastic Parent & Child

Prevention

PC World

PC Gamer

Outdoor Life

O (Opera’s Magazine)

Newsweek

National Geographic

Kiplinger’s

Hot Rod

Forbes

ESPN

Discover

Aviation Week

Is this a perfect solution? No. There are definite kinks to work out. For example, there is no way for me to block a specific issue of a magazine... you know, like hiding that swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated. But being able to put a copy of National Geographic in the hands of all thirty environmental science students at the same time... PRICELESS!