Ebook readers and library books

[PG4003]

My local library system has a very good selection of ebooks, and I've also recently sent my $15 to the Philadelphia Free Library so I can start checking out theirs. They have a very good selection. I have a Kindle and about 6 weeks ago bought a Nook WiFi to use for library books and I love it. I've probably read at least 15 library ebooks since getting my Nook.

[jerrywojo]

The library,used book stores and my Jetbook reader are all tools I use for my reading enjoyment.

[Barcey]

I always bought my ebooks but when the price fixing started in April I got a library card and tried it out. The selection isn't great yet but it's growing and I don't have trouble finding books that I want to read. The demand seems to be high because I generally have to put a hold on it and wait.

[kilohertz53]

I have access to three library systems' OverDrive collections. I probably have 50 books on my various "wish lists" at any given time. I don't mind putting an ebook on hold and waiting for it. It's not like I'm ever going to run out of reading material. I often use the "Return Borrowed Item" option on Adobe Digital Editions to return an ebook before it expires, especially if it's a new and popular title with a waiting list. In theory, I could return a book as soon as I've successfully transferred it to my e-reader, further reducing the wait-time for others. Would this be ethically wrong?

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by kilohertz53

In theory, I could return a book as soon as I've successfully transferred it to my e-reader, further reducing the wait-time for others. Would this be ethically wrong?

IMHO it wouldn't be ethically wrong, but you might get locked out of the Overdrive system. They use some kind of a computer algorithim to decide you are checking out too many books and returning them too quickly. Unfortunately, you get locked out even if you check out a book and decide in 5 minutes you don't want to read it (kind of what you might do in a real library, skimming the book, although you can do it without checking it out). I have been locked out a couple times - you cannot check out a new book or return a book. It only lasts about 48 hours. Now, I try not to return a book early unless I have one come up on my hold list.

[dsvick]

I'm still working through my list of books I've gotten for free from various places and haven't had the need to get anything through the library. The new release books I've read recently I went ahead and purchased outright. But I plan on using the library that is one of the reasons I got the ereader so I can go to the library at 3 in the morning without leaving my house

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by carld

I think so. I've been waiting for weeks for the 4th Sookie Stackhouse book. I want smack the person holding it. "You read too slow!"

Some libraries allow up to 14 or 21 days for an eBook loan. Usually, once it is finished, it will stay borrowed until the time is up. So if the eBook is out for say 14 days and it is finished in 7 days, it will stay out for the remaining 7 days. Yes, you can return an eBook if it is ePub, but I think most people don't know this.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Do they allow people from other states to sign up?

Yes, they do. The cost is $15 a year.

[simplyparticular]

The Agency pricing situation turned my e-reading on its head. Before April, I read on an iPhone, and purchased all my eReader format books. Since April, I'm reading on (various) e-Ink devices, and my books are 99% borrowed from two OverDrive libraries. I used eNYPL for a few years, until I switched from Palm to iPhone in '09. In the meantime, I had no idea my local library had signed up with OverDrive, and they have a pretty robust collection, particularly of non-fiction. Which is great, because eNYPL is getting lots of traffic compared to 2 year ago - most books I'm interested in have hold lists of 40+ patrons, and they focus more on Mobi and PDF formats.

Unfortunately, you get locked out even if you check out a book and decide in 5 minutes you don't want to read it (kind of what you might do in a real library, skimming the book, although you can do it without checking it out). I have been locked out a couple times - you cannot check out a new book or return a book. It only lasts about 48 hours. Now, I try not to return a book early unless I have one come up on my hold list.

This is true, but my lock out usually only lasts a few hours. By the end of the day or the next morning, I can borrow again. I tend to borrow on Saturdays, and I've set my default to 7 day checkout, and fill up most of my queue of 20, and then return them the following Saturday before I do more checkouts. I read about 1/3 of what I checkout, since some book blurbs sound better than the book. I can't skim the first chapter before checkout, I've built a huge wish list and just grab from there. Since I have some items on request, when I get the availability email I make sure to return 2-3 items so I always have room on my queue for a few more.

I've read 47 (whole) library books in 4 months, and skimmed at least 2x that, so Thank You Agency 5

[Blackterrier]

I decided I wanted to try out the Overdrive library, so bought a prs 300 to do so. It works, the selection is nice, but the format is bad. Very bad. I find I do not like the pdf and epub formats. Maybe I'm just used to my Kindle, but I prefer the it's format. I checked out 5 or 6 ebooks, returned the last one when I finished it, and went back to my Kindle.

[SensualPoet]

Toronto Public Library uses Overdrive and has a very modest, but growing, selection of ePubs (and other formats); ePub are the only ones I am interested and use my Kobo to consume them. For my account, or for any individual title, I can select 7, 14 or 21 day lending period; and I can return early which I normally do. If I put a hold on something, I get an e-mail when it's ready. The whole process is very simple and its a great way to sample authors I might be reluctant to spend $10 the first time round.

[Marcy]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

IMHO it wouldn't be ethically wrong, but you might get locked out of the Overdrive system. They use some kind of a computer algorithim to decide you are checking out too many books and returning them too quickly. Unfortunately, you get locked out even if you check out a book and decide in 5 minutes you don't want to read it (kind of what you might do in a real library, skimming the book, although you can do it without checking it out). I have been locked out a couple times - you cannot check out a new book or return a book. It only lasts about 48 hours. Now, I try not to return a book early unless I have one come up on my hold list.

It doesn't happen with just one book. I took out a book and returned it immediately just the other day, because a quick skim showed it to be utter crap.

I almost always have 10 books out of the library, 10 on the hold list and tons on my wishlist and have never gotten locked out. I share my library account with my parents, so that's actually books for the 3 of us.

I changed my default lending period from 21 days to 7 days as well, because if I don't finish a book in 7 days it's probably not going to get finished.

-Marcy

[Jabby]

Originally Posted by jswinden

If this has been polled lately then apologies for the duplicate, but I couldn't find a recent poll. I'm intersted in how many people actually read ebooks borrowed from a library, and if they do, how many they read.

Hi Jack-

I tried to use the library ebooks but it was to much of an ordeal. New books are not available for a year or so and when they became available I generally found myself number 20 in the queue.

Regards - John

P.S. K5HFK inactive for many years. My interest was CW DXing and "roll your own" gear. The universe of interest diminished and slowly died out.

[banjobama]

Well, I don't think I can change my poll answer, but I went to my library's website and it looks like they have double the ebooks they had a few months ago, so I checked one out. I suppose I'm now in the "seldom" category, not the "never" category.

I found the process very easy but ADE, for some reason, runs excruciatingly slow on my computer when my Reader is plugged in.

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by simplyparticular

This is true, but my lock out usually only lasts a few hours. By the end of the day or the next morning, I can borrow again. I tend to borrow on Saturdays, and I've set my default to 7 day checkout, and fill up most of my queue of 20, and then return them the following Saturday before I do more checkouts. I read about 1/3 of what I checkout, since some book blurbs sound better than the book. I can't skim the first chapter before checkout, I've built a huge wish list and just grab from there. Since I have some items on request, when I get the availability email I make sure to return 2-3 items so I always have room on my queue for a few more.

I've read 47 (whole) library books in 4 months, and skimmed at least 2x that, so Thank You Agency 5

Thanks for letting me know! It has only happened twice to me, and I was afraid to check. We are limited to 6 books at a time. I am getting no better judging a book by its cover.