Digital Editions and the public library - Page 18

doreenjoy · 10-10-2010, 01:58 PM

The San Francisco Public Library has added many new mysteries, thrillers, and young adult titles in recent weeks.

SeaBookGuy · 10-10-2010, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

I've only had that happen with Mobipocket books and Overdrive. Apparently early returns aren't supported with the Mobi format.

I've gotten in the habit of logging onto my digital account at the library and using the Return Books feature in there. I wonder if that would solve your problem?

My digital account doesn't have a Return Books option.

Apparently, the Sony Library software sends a message to Overdrive (as does ADE): "Patron returned item" - which Overdrive now seems to ignore. I tried returning a book via ADE, and it was, indeed, removed from my items out list thereafter; I went back and downloaded the Sony-failed return books to ADE, and got them off my account that way.

doreenjoy · 10-10-2010, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

My digital account doesn't have a Return Books option.

Apparently, the Sony Library software sends a message to Overdrive (as does ADE): "Patron returned item" - which Overdrive now seems to ignore. I tried returning a book via ADE, and it was, indeed, removed from my items out list thereafter; I went back and downloaded the Sony-failed return books to ADE, and got them off my account that way.

Ah, the return early feature must be supported at the library level, then. My library recognizes when I return books in the Sony software (I just tested it now) but I can't return Mobi books early.

SeaBookGuy · 10-10-2010, 06:08 PM

My library currently recognizes ADE early returns only - it was okay with Sony ones as late as a week ago; I think it's some sort of a glitch I encountered. I don't think we've ever had a Return Book option directly from the Overdrive Items Out list.

john folkard · 11-10-2010, 07:02 AM

Most of the entries above are in the US. I live in the Uk and my county library has now started an ebooks library. I can choose 7/14/21 days loan, but it also says that I can make unlimited printed copies. My problem is that Sony's reader library and Calibre which I use for my own ebooks does not appear to have a "print" command. Any one help??

John F · 11-10-2010, 08:40 AM

John, can you try Adobe Digital Editions? I just added a non-DRM'd EPub to it, and was able to print. I am unable to print the EPubs I purchased.

Good luck.

doreenjoy · 12-03-2010, 12:51 AM

Woot!

New titles in ebook at SFPL (San Francisco Public Library!

Fiction e-books: 3320
Non-fiction e-books: 1272

doreenjoy · 12-03-2010, 12:58 AM

Philadephia Free Library stats

Fiction ebooks: 3001
Non-fiction ebooks: 781

Xanthe · 12-05-2010, 11:47 PM

Finally renewed my library card and decided to see what was what now regarding ebooks and my library. As far as I was able to discover, there is no mention on my library's site that ebooks are even available for download. The library is part of a consortium of libraries encompassing the whole county, so I checked out that site. If you click on a link to listen to audiobooks, it takes you to another site that has audiobooks and ebooks available for download, but no mention is made on the original site about ebooks also being available. So right off the bat, ebooks are not easily accessible from my town's library's website and the lack of mention of them would lead people to think that they are not available. Oh, and on the library consortium website, the drop-down menu for the type of item being searched for does not have an entry for ebooks.

I went to the audiobook/ebook site to see how many ebooks were available. They have 902 fiction books and 325 non-fiction books available - this in a county that has 790,000 residents. They do provide access to over 15,000 public domain books but anyone can get those books with a simple google search. Almost all of the ebooks available have waiting lists, and I only saw only 1-2 ebooks available for the ones that had no waiting list.

The loan time for the books is 14 days. I found four books that I would conceivably want to read, opened up ADE and tried to download to it. I got a download error. I apparently have to download the initial file first to my computer and then double-click on it to run and install the book.

I put two books on my Aluratek Libre and two books on my Sony PRS-350. On the Libre, the books installed in the main ebook category, outside of all of my other folders there, with no mention of any expiration date. On the Sony, they installed in the regular Book library. One of the books I downloaded to the Sony has a small "14" by its entry and the info screen shows the future expiration date. The second book doesn't show the small 14 nor does it show an expiration date in its info screen (it's a Kelley Armstrong book, so it's not public domain). It'll be interesting to see 14 days from now what happens to the books; I won't open up the ADE software until after that date.

Harmon · 12-07-2010, 05:50 PM

[QUOTE=RobbieClarken;233004]Yes but the whole point of copyright is to create an artificial scarcity so that publishers can charge monopoly prices. QUOTE]

That's it, in a nutshell!

lciprich · 12-12-2010, 06:01 AM

I bought my Sony PRS-300 last February. I read a lot of classic public domain ebooks and only downloaded current ebooks from Florida libraries until Dec. 1 when I bought my first books from the Sony store. My problem is in downloading from the online library sites. I open ADE since it doesn't automatically open like the Sony library, don't have a problem downloading to ADE, then pulling the ebook into the reader, but half of the time, the ebooks will not open on the reader. They look like they are there, but I get an error message when I try to open them. I've learned that if the little clock is not showing up beside the title, it's either not really there, or not really authorized. Very frustrating, but not as frustrating as not finding ebooks very available anymore on the library sites. I guess now that the prices have dropped and ereaders are so much more popular, the library availability has dropped tremendously. I get more "Place a hold"s than anything else, hence, I'm now buying from the Sony store.

GeoffC · 12-12-2010, 06:18 AM

Iciprich

Welcome to mobileread ....

Have you had a look at the Library here on Mobileread ... ?
[see link in my signature line]

HarmonS · 12-12-2010, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VillageReader

I don't even think libraries own most of their popular fiction. Think about a Stephen King, DaSilva, Nora Roberts.... A small library may only want to own 2-3 copies of any popular fiction for the long term, but need 30 copies during the peak demand period when a book after the book is released. The solution is to rent 27 copies, not own them, and send them back when the peak demand begins to subside. If I'm not mistaken, I think there are some publishers that may even show a book as a library edition on the copyright page.

As a librarian, I've never heard of that practice. AFAIK, all libraries buy all the books they have to lend, although most libraries today are in a consortium which has a common database catalog and you can get books sent to your library from any of the other ones in the consortium. But they don't rent them.

doreenjoy · 12-12-2010, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lciprich

I bought my Sony PRS-300 last February. I read a lot of classic public domain ebooks and only downloaded current ebooks from Florida libraries until Dec. 1 when I bought my first books from the Sony store. My problem is in downloading from the online library sites. I open ADE since it doesn't automatically open like the Sony library, don't have a problem downloading to ADE, then pulling the ebook into the reader, but half of the time, the ebooks will not open on the reader. They look like they are there, but I get an error message when I try to open them. I've learned that if the little clock is not showing up beside the title, it's either not really there, or not really authorized. Very frustrating, but not as frustrating as not finding ebooks very available anymore on the library sites. I guess now that the prices have dropped and ereaders are so much more popular, the library availability has dropped tremendously. I get more "Place a hold"s than anything else, hence, I'm now buying from the Sony store.

Welcome to Mobile Read!

I think the problem is that you have both EPUB and PDF library books on your 300 at the same time. The 300 cannot handle that (note that this is a problem with librarybooks only).

If you remove the books of one format that you got from the library, the other format should work.

This bug was fixed in the 350/650.

I hope that helps.

elcreative · 12-12-2010, 07:34 PM

As mentioned above, this is not the way any library system in the world works... what are all these wonderful renting publishers supposed to do with all these extremely used books when they are returned

Libraries buy books based on estimated usage and reader interest... which is why a hot, new book usually has a waiting list but after a while there isn't one.

Yes, some publishers do show a library edition on the copyright page... at one time hardbacks for many books were seen as being primarily sold to... libraries and were regarded as such... other books had a different version for libraries and said so (see some of early the Jasper Fforde books for examples) and finally some books were (and may still be) provided to large library groups without boards as the group had their own format...

Quote:

Originally Posted by VillageReader

I don't even think libraries own most of their popular fiction. Think about a Stephen King, DaSilva, Nora Roberts.... A small library may only want to own 2-3 copies of any popular fiction for the long term, but need 30 copies during the peak demand period when a book after the book is released. The solution is to rent 27 copies, not own them, and send them back when the peak demand begins to subside. If I'm not mistaken, I think there are some publishers that may even show a book as a library edition on the copyright page.

10-10-2010, 01:58 PM	#256
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	For those using SAN FRANCISCO's public library The San Francisco Public Library has added many new mysteries, thrillers, and young adult titles in recent weeks.

12-03-2010, 12:51 AM	#262
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	Woot! New titles in ebook at SFPL (San Francisco Public Library! Fiction e-books: 3320 Non-fiction e-books: 1272 Last edited by doreenjoy; 12-03-2010 at 12:58 AM.

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10-10-2010, 06:08 PM	#259
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,015 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	My library currently recognizes ADE early returns only - it was okay with Sony ones as late as a week ago; I think it's some sort of a glitch I encountered. I don't think we've ever had a Return Book option directly from the Overdrive Items Out list.

11-10-2010, 07:02 AM	#260
john folkard Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: PRS505	Most of the entries above are in the US. I live in the Uk and my county library has now started an ebooks library. I can choose 7/14/21 days loan, but it also says that I can make unlimited printed copies. My problem is that Sony's reader library and Calibre which I use for my own ebooks does not appear to have a "print" command. Any one help??

11-10-2010, 08:40 AM	#261
John F Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,156 Karma: 63764653 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo Glo HD	John, can you try Adobe Digital Editions? I just added a non-DRM'd EPub to it, and was able to print. I am unable to print the EPubs I purchased. Good luck.

12-03-2010, 12:58 AM	#263
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	Philadephia Free Library stats Fiction ebooks: 3001 Non-fiction ebooks: 781

12-05-2010, 11:47 PM	#264
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	Finally renewed my library card and decided to see what was what now regarding ebooks and my library. As far as I was able to discover, there is no mention on my library's site that ebooks are even available for download. The library is part of a consortium of libraries encompassing the whole county, so I checked out that site. If you click on a link to listen to audiobooks, it takes you to another site that has audiobooks and ebooks available for download, but no mention is made on the original site about ebooks also being available. So right off the bat, ebooks are not easily accessible from my town's library's website and the lack of mention of them would lead people to think that they are not available. Oh, and on the library consortium website, the drop-down menu for the type of item being searched for does not have an entry for ebooks. I went to the audiobook/ebook site to see how many ebooks were available. They have 902 fiction books and 325 non-fiction books available - this in a county that has 790,000 residents. They do provide access to over 15,000 public domain books but anyone can get those books with a simple google search. Almost all of the ebooks available have waiting lists, and I only saw only 1-2 ebooks available for the ones that had no waiting list. The loan time for the books is 14 days. I found four books that I would conceivably want to read, opened up ADE and tried to download to it. I got a download error. I apparently have to download the initial file first to my computer and then double-click on it to run and install the book. I put two books on my Aluratek Libre and two books on my Sony PRS-350. On the Libre, the books installed in the main ebook category, outside of all of my other folders there, with no mention of any expiration date. On the Sony, they installed in the regular Book library. One of the books I downloaded to the Sony has a small "14" by its entry and the info screen shows the future expiration date. The second book doesn't show the small 14 nor does it show an expiration date in its info screen (it's a Kelley Armstrong book, so it's not public domain). It'll be interesting to see 14 days from now what happens to the books; I won't open up the ADE software until after that date.

12-07-2010, 05:50 PM	#265
Harmon King of the Bongo Drums Posts: 1,622 Karma: 5927225 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Excelsior! (Strange...)	[QUOTE=RobbieClarken;233004]Yes but the whole point of copyright is to create an artificial scarcity so that publishers can charge monopoly prices. QUOTE] That's it, in a nutshell!

12-12-2010, 06:01 AM	#266
lciprich Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Sony PRS-300	I bought my Sony PRS-300 last February. I read a lot of classic public domain ebooks and only downloaded current ebooks from Florida libraries until Dec. 1 when I bought my first books from the Sony store. My problem is in downloading from the online library sites. I open ADE since it doesn't automatically open like the Sony library, don't have a problem downloading to ADE, then pulling the ebook into the reader, but half of the time, the ebooks will not open on the reader. They look like they are there, but I get an error message when I try to open them. I've learned that if the little clock is not showing up beside the title, it's either not really there, or not really authorized. Very frustrating, but not as frustrating as not finding ebooks very available anymore on the library sites. I guess now that the prices have dropped and ereaders are so much more popular, the library availability has dropped tremendously. I get more "Place a hold"s than anything else, hence, I'm now buying from the Sony store.

12-12-2010, 06:18 AM	#267
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,600 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	Iciprich Welcome to mobileread .... Have you had a look at the Library here on Mobileread ... ? [see link in my signature line]

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