Dude!! This is what it's about!

[kennyc]

I just DIGITALLY checked out Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" and E.L. Doctorow's "Homer and Langley" from my local library.





I'll be:

[Slite]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I just checked out Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" and E.L. Doctorow's "Homer and Langley" from my local library.





I'll be:

Assume you mean you "checked them out" in digital form? If so, I can understand your happiness. I borrow e-books from my library all the time. The only thing I think is a bit sucky is that they have a very small selection of books in original language. And I abolutley LOATHE reading books written in English which have been translated to Swedish. Think I will have to start a campaign to have the libraries add more english books to their electronic shelves!

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Slite

Assume you mean you "checked them out" in digital form? If so, I can understand your happiness. I borrow e-books from my library all the time. The only thing I think is a bit sucky is that they have a very small selection of books in original language. And I abolutley LOATHE reading books written in English which have been translated to Swedish. Think I will have to start a campaign to have the libraries add more english books to their electronic shelves!

Yes. I just edited my post to clarify even more.

I was very unsure how soon new books would be available, so am very pleased. I'm also sure that were I to want to borrow/check them out in book form there would be a waiting list of 50 or 100 people long.

[Sweetpea]

If my library would offer electronic books, I might consider getting a library card again.

[Slite]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

If my library would offer electronic books, I might consider getting a library card again.

Have you checked that there isn't a "central" function for that in the Netherlands? Swedish libraries are collectively using a service from a company that is called Elib which supplies the service to all the regional libraries.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Slite

Have you checked that there isn't a "central" function for that in the Netherlands? Swedish libraries are collectively using a service from a company that is called Elib which supplies the service to all the regional libraries.

Yes, I have. And there isn't. There is no country wide library service, only region based. And my region is as old fashioned as you can get them..

Considering the average Dutch aversion to ebooks (most people not going here are like: who is going to read on a device, I'll miss the book smell, and ewww, electronic device), I doubt there'll be a Dutch electronic library any time soon.

[Slite]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Yes, I have. And there isn't. There is no country wide library service, only region based. And my region is as old fashioned as you can get them..

Considering the average Dutch aversion to ebooks (most people not going here are like: who is going to read on a device, I'll miss the book smell, and ewww, electronic device), I doubt there'll be a Dutch electronic library any time soon.

Wierd, isn't there like at least two companies that manufacture/sell electronic reading devices located in the Netherlands? I know my BeBook is Dutch. And isn't iRex a dutch company as well?

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Slite

Wierd, isn't there like at least two companies that manufacture/sell electronic reading devices located in the Netherlands? I know my BeBook is Dutch. And isn't iRex a dutch company as well?

Yes and yes.

Until the end of august, the amount of non-public domain books was not even worth mentioning. I doubt they actually sold a lot of books. Mostly self-study books and a few cheapo books (mostly a series based on a tv series).

As the ebooks won't go into the lower VAT level (6% instead of 19%) (because electronic downloaded ebooks aren't books, but a service, while an ebook on a CD is a book...) I doubt it will really pick up. Most people that do read electronically read English and will get their books much cheaper abroad. Besides, even the English selection is horrible. I can't find one book I'd like to have...

[mikaelalind]

Originally Posted by Slite

Assume you mean you "checked them out" in digital form? If so, I can understand your happiness. I borrow e-books from my library all the time. The only thing I think is a bit sucky is that they have a very small selection of books in original language. And I abolutley LOATHE reading books written in English which have been translated to Swedish. Think I will have to start a campaign to have the libraries add more english books to their electronic shelves!

When you consider that all e-books are converted by Elib, and a majority of e-books are in swedish, written by swedish authors. It is unlikely that the libraries will get e-books in english. Which is a shame.

[JSWolf]

Hey dude! This thread is in the wrong place. Belongs in Reading Recommendations.

[Slite]

Originally Posted by mikaelalind

When you consider that the books are converted by Elib, and that a majority of e-books are in swedish, written by swedish authors. Because of that it is unlikely that the libraries will get e-books in english. Which is a shame.

That is very true. But I still wish it would be possible to have Swedish libraries offer e-books written in the original language as well.

Though I do enjoy a lot of the swedish books that is offered. I've borrowed and read all of John Ajvide Lindqvists, Stieg Larssons and Mons Kalletofts books for instance.

So I'm very happy with the service as such

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Hey dude! This thread is in the wrong place. Belongs in Reading Recommendations.

Nope. It's not about recommending anything. It's commentary!

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I just DIGITALLY checked out Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" and E.L. Doctorow's "Homer and Langley" from my local library.





I'll be:

That's pretty nifty I wish we had something like that in the UK, as it is we're still in the dark ages. But....I remember having that wohoo! moment when I first loaded up Don Quixote and realised I'd never have to lug around any one of the 1000+ page versions I have in pbook format I love technology I do

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Nope. It's not about recommending anything. It's commentary!

Gotta agree here........the op is commenting on being able to download books from the library, not recommending any particular one

[Nvidiot]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Yes, I have. And there isn't. There is no country wide library service, only region based. And my region is as old fashioned as you can get them..

Considering the average Dutch aversion to ebooks (most people not going here are like: who is going to read on a device, I'll miss the book smell, and ewww, electronic device), I doubt there'll be a Dutch electronic library any time soon.

Actually, the library in The Hague (www.bibliotheekdenhaag.nl) does offer eBooks (Adobe Digital Editions format) via NetLibrary.com. Unfortunately their selection is rather limited, they only have about 300 titles in there, all of them Dutch as far as I could see.

Their support is excellent, I e-mailed them because it didn't work correctly when I created an account, and I received a response within a few minutes that it was broken, and another one a day later to tell me it was working again. I should contact them again to ask for an English collection, since I do 99% of my reading in English anyway.