The iPad has turned into my sole platform for reading. I haven’t held a book in my hands since last April. The only problem with this scenario, aside from the horror expressed by my physical book loving friends, is the beating my budget takes from having to buy all of my own books. Last spring I tried to download an eBook from a local library, but due to the lack of Flash on iPad, it was not possible. Assuming the change would happen sooner or later, I waited. This past weekend, sure enough, I was able to download an ePub book.

At this point in time, an App called Overdrive Media (currently only native for iPhone and iTouch, but compatible with iPad) allows for reading ePub text on the iPad. There is an update coming out soon which is supposed to allow for the reading ePDF books, as well. There are only a few drawbacks at this point. The libraries don’t have very many digital copies of each title to loan. Once a book is checked out, it’s out. Just like a physical book, you must put the title on hold and wait for it to return to the library. Availability will be better when the new App comes out and ePDFs can be checked out, as well. The other problem an upgrade will solve is the slightly pixelated look of the text that comes from using an iPhone App on iPad.

As one who take great joy in all things digital, this turn of events is exciting. Digital media will surely become easier to access as the demand for eBooks increase.