A trip to the library used to mean borrowing books or DVDs to take home. But kids today are just as likely to flip through a story electronically as the pages of a physical book.

The Hawaii State Public Library system has been expanding its offerings in this area, most recently through a grant that makes streaming children’s e-books from StarWalk Kids Media available to cardholders until Dec. 31.

"We are very excited to offer this," said Ann Fujioka, manager for the library system’s technical services section. "This is something very new, because you can stream it instead of downloading it, meaning multiple users can use it at the same time."

In other words, two or more people can read the StarWalk Kids Media books on different devices simultaneously, she said. With regular e-book offerings, which have been available more than a year, only one borrower downloads a particular title at a time.

The StarWalk Kids Media collection offers more than 500 titles appropriate for readers from kindergarten through eighth grade, ranging from rhyming picture books, such as "An Invitation to the Butterfly Ball," by Jane Yolen, to Seymour Simon’s highly acclaimed science books.

Hawaii author Ellie Crowe’s "Nelson Mandela: The Boy Called Troublemaker" is available, as is "Twelve Years a Slave," by Solomon Northup, which inspired the award-winning film, and "Malala Yousafzai," the true story of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Borrowers must have a library card number and PIN number (which is set up as the last four digits of your phone number) to log in, and a computer with Adobe Flash Player software. Tablet users need to download the free SWKidsReader app.

While print books and DVDs are still the main focus of the state library, electronic media is on the rise, according to spokesman Paul Mark. About 8 percent of media in circulation is electronic, and in September, the state library system checked out its millionth e-book

When in the library, patrons can access electronic media by reserving a computer or accessing the library’s free Wi-Fi services on their tablets.

A survey by children’s publishing company Scholastic found that 61 percent of children had read an e-book in 2014, compared with 25 percent in 2010. Still, nearly two-thirds, or 65 percent, agreed they will always want to read books in print, too.

The streaming StarWalk Kids Media e-books are offered with "read to me," "let me read" and "auto play" options.

Visit www.librarieshawaii.org/starwalk to learn more.