A library visit is a great experience for children. Strolling through great halls, filled with epic worlds wrapped in small books on endless shelves, is mesmerizing. You are walking slowly with your head bent, checking over for books, which try to catch your eye with an appealing cover or name or even by looking old or new.
Actually, a library visit is amazing for grownups as well. All this is wonderful, but then came e-Books and said: so long to nifty covers or to great books, that were enjoyed by countless readers. That’s true – it’s much easier to find an e-Book rather than a book in a library, even if you do have a library-search application.
Alexandria’s keystone was to present e-books with the library experience, showing the book’s side-covers in different sizes and colors and allowing users to take a closer look at books that interest them. No search; if you want to find something, you can go through the shelves and find the book that you like. Perhaps you’ll find something better. Perhaps you won’t find it at all. But that’s the fun of it, and that’s a part of the experience.