library books and expirations

[lorraineg57]

Okay, so I really thought my library books (epub) stayed on my nook even though they expired in Adobe. All of my library requests were available at the same time (feast or famine) so I downloaded them and put them on my nook. I'm reading as fast as I can....lol. I'm 3/4 of the way through a really good book and I go to open it on my nook and it says it's expired and won't open.

I thought they stayed on there (nook) until I removed them? (I knew they would expire in ADE).

[SeaBookGuy]

I believe you can continue reading an open book past the expiration date.

[Lutraa]

Yeah, this is a real problem! My local public library allows DTBs to be borrowed for three weeks, and renewed multiple times as long as no one is on the waiting list for the book. Ebooks and audio books, on the other hand, circulate for only 7-14 days, with no renewals allowed. You can put yourself on the wait list as soon as you check the book out but there's no guarantee you'll be anywhere near the top of the list.

For full time workers like me who like to get at least an hour of outdoor exercise each day, it makes no sense to borrow most full length eBooks unless I am about to go on vacation or into the hospital (and all that exercise means I'm not sick much!). That goes double for audio books, which of course take much, much longer to listen to than the same book does to read. Although audio book hardware and software is such that it is much easier to make it to the end if you are willing to violate the Overdrive terms of use . . .

[lorraineg57]

Seabookguy,

I could have sworn I had other borrowed books on my nook that I had to manually remove long past the expiration. This book is one that was open, now it's just gone...sigh.


Lutraa,

The two libraries I use check out for 21 days. Usually, that's more than enough time. Unfortunately, I had I think four books become available in the same week and one of them is over 500 pages, I probably won't even start that one...lol.

Thanks for the input to both of you!

[Giggleton]

That's a ludicrous situation I believe. Why don't you try researching Calibre as a way to continue to read the books you wish to read? At the moment we cannot count on our libraries to provide the services we desire. I expect this to change in the future.

[Ravensknight]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

That's a ludicrous situation I believe. Why don't you try researching Calibre as a way to continue to read the books you wish to read? At the moment we cannot count on our libraries to provide the services we desire. I expect this to change in the future.

Don't blame the libraries. They are getting hit from all sides. From publishers who don't even want libraries to exist, to people who blame the library instead of the real source of the problem, to a sucky economy and budget cuts

I'm quite involved in our local library, in regards to ebooks, and the stories I hear from the head admin are just nightmares.

so say a thankyou to your library for even carrying ebooks. Positive reinforcement and all that. And place the blame directly where it belongs, on the publishers. [not the authors mind you, the publishers]

[tubemonkey]

I only check out one book at a time. If I have several on a waiting list that become available at the same time, I still only check out one at a time. If the others expire while on the hold list, I just start all over again. No big deal. My libraries have 21 day check outs and 7 day holds.

[JSWolf]

Try setting the date/time on your nook back to say the day after you borrowed the ePub from the library and see if you can open them.

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

Don't blame the libraries. They are getting hit from all sides. From publishers who don't even want libraries to exist, to people who blame the library instead of the real source of the problem, to a sucky economy and budget cuts

Publishers might say that they want the libraries to act in a certain way, but it is the libraries who actually act. My local library didn't want me to help people research stuff on the internet because it interfered with the duties of the librarian who has that duty stated in their union contract or some such nonsense, but I digress.

When in the course of human events...

[John F]

I'm not sure I understand the problem. The books were checked out, the checkouts expired, and you still want to read them?

I don't have a Nook, but I use ADE for checking out books. After I return the book, I don't see the book in ADE, but it is still on disk if I look with Explorer.

[John F]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I only check out one book at a time. If I have several on a waiting list that become available at the same time, I still only check out one at a time. If the others expire while on the hold list, I just start all over again. No big deal. My libraries have 21 day check outs and 7 day holds.

(from a fellow library patron).

[Barty]

Originally Posted by Lutraa

Yeah, this is a real problem! My local public library allows DTBs to be borrowed for three weeks, and renewed multiple times as long as no one is on the waiting list for the book. Ebooks and audio books, on the other hand, circulate for only 7-14 days, with no renewals allowed. You can put yourself on the wait list as soon as you check the book out but there's no guarantee you'll be anywhere near the top of the list.

. .

Well you can re checkout an ebook as long as there's no one on the wait list. Only difference is, it's so easy to get on a wait list for e-library that everyone does it. Cuts both ways doesn't it.

I don't see this as a failure of the library. It's a feature, not a bug.

[mldavis2]

With the pending check-out limitation (of what, 46 or some such arbitrary number) for each eBook 'leased' from the publishers, it is rather obvious why libraries would be reluctant to allow multiple check-outs of a single book to a single reader. A very few persons could easily run out the 'lend-lease' timer and force the library to 're-lease' that book again at additional expense to the library...a bone of contention not applicable to pBooks.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by John F

(from a fellow library patron).

You're welcome; and you're the reason I do it this way. I don't like tying up books needlessly when someone else is waiting to read them.

One time I had three on a waiting list and they became available within a few days of each other. One of them expired on the waiting list. I didn't like that I was keeping someone else from reading it, so now the max I'll place on wait is two.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by mldavis2

With the pending check-out limitation (of what, 46 or some such arbitrary number) for each eBook 'leased' from the publishers, it is rather obvious why libraries would be reluctant to allow multiple check-outs of a single book to a single reader. A very few persons could easily run out the 'lend-lease' timer and force the library to 're-lease' that book again at additional expense to the library...a bone of contention not applicable to pBooks.

If the HC model becomes widespread, maybe libraries should limit patrons to one free checkout of a single title. Thereafter, all future checkouts of that title will then be charged to their account; say $1.00 per checkout.