MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - This year the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point library introduced 30 new iPads into its inventory.

The idea began with the successful introduction of four iPads at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C.

Due to their success, Cherry Point gathered end-of-year funds from fiscal year 2011 to expand the range of technology in the station library.

All of the iPads come with many popular applications for media and social media sites and an array of practical and work-related applications.

Library director Suzanne Shell said the iPads give the library’s patrons a chance to get to know the technology without having to go out and buy it.

Shell said with the schools on summer break, most of the success with the iPads has been with the teens and tweens who have come in to escape the summer heat.

She said that adults are starting to get into the iPads a little more but some skepticism still occurs for choosing between a desktop, laptop or iPad.

“Most of the adults look surprised at the fact we even have iPads,” said Shell. “We let them know that the iPads are synced with the printers, and if they do decide to get on Facebook or Twitter, all of the memory will be erased so others won’t be able to look at their personal information.”

The iPads are for in-house use only and the library also has more than 90 eBook readers available for up to three-week rental. The eBooks have over 100,000 selections to choose from, many from the Commandant’s Reading List.

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