Moray’s library staff have devised a novel way of getting more youngsters into reading, by launching thousands of comic books online.
More than 16,000 graphic novels, ranging from exciting superhero tales to stories about ponies, are now available for the region’s youngsters to download for free.
The new ComicsPlus service offers library members unlimited access to classic titles as well as new releases – which can be viewed on smart phones, computers and tablet devices.
Elgin Library’s RonaStephen, said staff had noticed a growing interest in comics over the past few years and view them as an ideal way to entice children to read more.
She added: “The service is really aimed at people who don’t like traditional books, to get them into reading.
“We really hope this will be particularly attractive to boys who don’t read a lot at the moment, as there is certainly a growing trend towards graphic novels.
“If this gets those younger people into reading more traditional novels, we would love it.
“But any reading is a good thing, and if people only like to read comics then we are happy with that.”
Unlimited numbers of comics can be checked out for seven days, and renewed as often as desired.
The chairwoman of Moray Council’s children and young people’s services committee, Anne Skene, said the scheme could help “reluctant readers” develop a passion for literature.
She added: “To many younger people, a page of text can appear quite daunting but graphics and images will seem a lot more encouraging.
Once an account has been created, readers can download an app for it onto iOS mobile devices.
Instructions for setting up an account can be found on the Moray libraries website at www.moray.gov.uk/libraries. People need library card numbers to access the database.