] This week the South Huntington Public Library on Long
] Island, New York, became one of the first public
] libraries in the country to loan out iPod shuffles.

] For the past three weeks, the library ran a pilot program
] using the portable MP3 devices to store audio books
] downloaded from the Apple iTunes Music Store. They
] started with six shuffles, and now are up to a total of
] 10. Each device holds a single audio book.

] The few library patrons that have checked them out seem
] to have had positive experiences.

] Lee Jacknow, 61, a retired professor of engineering who
] currently has one iPod shuffle checked out with the new
] John Grisham novel on it, said that having the iPod has
] changed the way he listens to audio books.

] "It's changed the books on tape from a car-only
] experience to a bring-it-with-you experience," he said.

] Ken Weil, the library's director, said that the library
] had been looking for a way to share digital audio content
] with its patrons for some time, and that until recently,
] the existing iPods were far too expensive.

] "It's the right product with the right price," he said.
] "We said that this is a great way of getting these out to
] the public."

] Instead of having an entire book take up several CDs, one
] book fits within several MP3 files, usually ranging from
] 150 MB to 350 MB, he said. The library currently stocks
] both of the two versions of the iPod shuffle -- six of
] the 1-GB model, and four of the 512-MB model.

] In addition, the library has the potential to save a
] great deal of money. Latini said that most titles on CDs
] cost the library around $75, whereas in MP3 format, they
] range from $15 to $25.

] "In the end, obviously, we're literally saving money," he
] said. "The units are paying for themselves."

] The library even throws in a cassette adapter and an FM
] transmitter for use in a car.