MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Library Thing: EPUB Borrowing in the (Non-)English World and Can I Join?

december · 10-22-2013, 09:47 AM

Hello Avid,

I'm afraid this is a case of "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence": I don't think there is any single service in the US which would give you access to anything on the scale of Amazon's library! Generally what you have access to at your local library will depend entirely on where you live in the US, and your city's library system budget.

(Edited to clarify terminology: larger cities often have multiple library buildings, called "branches", but usually these are managed under a central library budget, paid by city taxes. Each city is responsible for its own library system - or lack thereof; neighboring cities don't usually share library budgets or space.)

As far as e-books go, these are still a fairly new thing in the US. Many smaller libraries may not even have an e-book catalog, largely because: 1) publishers usually set the prices of e-books higher than paper books for libraries (sometimes several times higher!), and 2) several publishers have a limit on the number of times that an e-book can be checked out (after which the file "self-destructs" and the book can no longer be lent out) -- so in some cases, it makes more sense for the library to just stick to paper books.

The situation gets even more complicated because different publishers are experimenting with different models, so libraries often need to subscribe to multiple services at once. To use one example in Texas:

http://catalog.cityofirving.org/room...ital_Downloads

I like this example because it shows just how crazy things can get: EBSCO is for scholarly books, but there are also other systems needed for audiobooks (Overdrive), certain publishers but not others (3M Cloud Library), magazines (Zinio), and so on... it's very difficult (and expensive) for any given library to even attempt to offer everything!

Another thing to note is that these catalogues are library- or city-specific, not national: so what's offered at this library in Texas will be different than another library in Arizona, New York, etc. Also, yes, typically you need to live in that area and have a valid library card to actually use their services: most public libraries will only take library card applications in person, and will ask that you bring a few months of utility bills, or some other proof that you actually live in the area. (Some libraries are exceptions to the rule - see the Philadelphia Free Library, http://freelibrary.org/ - but this is pretty rare.)

Hope that helps to clarify, at least as a basic introduction to the system! Feel free to ask more questions, I'm happy to keep rambling.

10-22-2013, 09:47 AM	#3
december Nameless Being	Hello Avid, I'm afraid this is a case of "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence": I don't think there is any single service in the US which would give you access to anything on the scale of Amazon's library! Generally what you have access to at your local library will depend entirely on where you live in the US, and your city's library system budget. (Edited to clarify terminology: larger cities often have multiple library buildings, called "branches", but usually these are managed under a central library budget, paid by city taxes. Each city is responsible for its own library system - or lack thereof; neighboring cities don't usually share library budgets or space.) As far as e-books go, these are still a fairly new thing in the US. Many smaller libraries may not even have an e-book catalog, largely because: 1) publishers usually set the prices of e-books higher than paper books for libraries (sometimes several times higher!), and 2) several publishers have a limit on the number of times that an e-book can be checked out (after which the file "self-destructs" and the book can no longer be lent out) -- so in some cases, it makes more sense for the library to just stick to paper books. The situation gets even more complicated because different publishers are experimenting with different models, so libraries often need to subscribe to multiple services at once. To use one example in Texas: http://catalog.cityofirving.org/room...ital_Downloads I like this example because it shows just how crazy things can get: EBSCO is for scholarly books, but there are also other systems needed for audiobooks (Overdrive), certain publishers but not others (3M Cloud Library), magazines (Zinio), and so on... it's very difficult (and expensive) for any given library to even attempt to offer everything! Another thing to note is that these catalogues are library- or city-specific, not national: so what's offered at this library in Texas will be different than another library in Arizona, New York, etc. Also, yes, typically you need to live in that area and have a valid library card to actually use their services: most public libraries will only take library card applications in person, and will ask that you bring a few months of utility bills, or some other proof that you actually live in the area. (Some libraries are exceptions to the rule - see the Philadelphia Free Library, http://freelibrary.org/ - but this is pretty rare.) Hope that helps to clarify, at least as a basic introduction to the system! Feel free to ask more questions, I'm happy to keep rambling. Last edited by december; 10-22-2013 at 10:09 AM.