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[Antsy]

Found the site on Google when searching for information about checking out ebooks from the library.

About 2.5 years ago, I moved to a small town (pop 3,000) and have begun using the library. I haven't lived near one since college, so hadn't used them. I'm loving it! Free, environmental friendly, no clutter accumulation and did I mention, free? The only negatives are 1) what I'm looking for isn't always immediately available (but the longest I've had to wait is 2 weeks) and 2) it may take several months for new releases to get into the system (it's a small library).

On the whole, though, I'm happy with the experience.

But I'm planning a couple of long trips this summer and I read very, very quickly. I don't like the idea of lugging 6 to 8 books with me and am also reluctant to travel with borrowed books (lost luggage, lost memory, etc.).

So, an e-reader makes sense. The Kindle get the best technical reviews, but it appears that Kindle doesn't have a relationship with the library system.

I do not see well enough for a small handheld and am opposed to the iPad for other reasons.

Does anyone out there have any advice for me?

[badgoodDeb]

Well, I'm biased because I've had three of them, but I still think a Kindle would be great for you. There is a thread here wherein one of our members posts about free books you can get for the Kindle. Sometimes they are an older book because the author has a new book coming out. Sometimes they get me hooked on a new author and I wind up buying 6 or 7 books in the series because I really like the author!

But you *can* find a good quantity of material for free, even for a Kindle.

Read here for a sample of the free (or cheap) books we've seen lately. But
check the price every time, before you click to buy, because some books are only free for a day or a few hours!!

[MickeyC]

Hi Antsy and welcome to MobileRead. I use my Sony 505 to borrow books from the Library all the time. In fact, last year, while on a flight from Baltimore to Dallas, TX, I borrowed a book from the Fairfax, Va library

[neilmarr]

Good to have your company, Antsy. I'm with Cassidy as a Sony lover (perfect for library loans and the zoom feature for increasing text sixe is great even for my eyes, which, between them, have suffered 124 years of hard work), but there are a whole bunch of readers out there now, each with its own special features. Why not check out the 'Which One Should I Buy?' sub forum here? Good luck and best wishes. Neil

[Valmore Daniels]

welcome

[Latinandgreek]

Welcome! I can warmly recommend the Sony readers, having owned one for 2 years. However, the Kindle is a great device as well, and has a lot of users who love it. The new Sony models (the 5" PRS-350, 6" PRS-650 and the 7 " PRS-950) and the Kindle 3 are the only devices currently using the new Pearl e-ink screen with better contrast, so I would suggest taking a look at those. Try looking at video reviews from this site:

http://www.the-ebook-reader.com/

as well as checking them out in person at a local Best Buy, if you can, to get a feel for what is good for you. If you do plan on using the library a lot to read e-books, the Sony models would probably be a better fit, however, as not many libraries carry books that can be read natively on the Kindle.

[desertblues]

Hi, welcome to MR from the Netherlands. From what I gathered; the Kindle isn't suitable for library-lending. They're making an apps for the iPad+overdrive though, so iPhone etc will follow. Sony has good reviews as well. Have fun choosing!

[GeoffC]

Welcome to Mobileread ….

Two links in my signature may help you out .... One goes to a matrix on our Wiki, the other to a Forum specifically for questions like yours....