Bookstores have all but been decimated by the digital book revolution, but our public libraries have survived. And how! Any book lover of a “real” book or an ebook should visit their favorite library’s collection and see how well it compares with any other book source. Yes, we’re looking at you, Amazon!
While we’re limiting this article to public libraries’ digital lending resources, you should know they also offer loads of incredible resources. This Bustle.com article is a great roundup of those assets (http://bit.ly/1DEuBIa).
Now let’s get to the good stuff.
First off, you can belong, free, to multiple libraries so long as your local library has a reciprocal agreement with another library. I personally belong to five libraries in multiple counties but I had to visit each library organization and show a photo ID before they would issue a card.
Once you have your card(s), sign up for an Overdrive.com account. Overdrive is the organization handling the digital lending services for most of the nation’s libraries. It’s available on any browser or as an Android or Apple app. Once you’ve signed up with their Internet site, look up your library, enter your sign-on and password, and you’re off to your ebook — or audio book — hunting. Once you’ve downloaded it, you can be reading in seconds.
Overdrive lets you read your ebook on a web browser, the Overdrive app or your Kindle device/app. Surprisingly, Amazon offers some special advantages for digital readers. A library book in your Kindle account looks like any other Kindle book except it expires in 21 days.
Even more interesting, the Kindle website lets you see if the book you want is also available in your public library. Yes, you read that right. Amazon’s public library extension, an add-on to the Chrome or Internet Explorer browsers, lets you add your library to your browser. Look up any book/ebook on Amazon (they do have good reviews), and your browser will tell you if it’s available at your local library. How cool is it that Amazon can help you choose between buying and borrowing?
Most public libraries also give you access to other digital services, although most probably will appeal to younger or cash-strapped members. Don’t look for the newest or depth of selections available on iTunes or Netflix, but it’s free content. (Check with your library first to see which of these are available with your library membership.) They include:
• Freegal — A music and movie service. Listen to up to three hours of music today.
• Hoopla — Download and stream movies, music and TV shows.
• Access Video — Another free video streaming service.
Finally, here’s a freebee for the kids. A company called AudioFile is letting kids download and keep two free preselected audio book titles every week through Aug. 17. It’s meant to encourage them to read this summer. Tell them to text “syncYA” to 25827 on their smartphones and follow the instructions. Who knows, maybe it’ll get them involved in reading.
Skip Ferderber is a technology writer and editor. A former Los Angeles Times staff writer, he has written locally for Alaska Airlines Magazine, GeekWire.com, Seattle Business Journal, Puget Sound Business Journal and Crosscut.com. Contact him at sferderber@gmail.com.
