Your Library's E-book Results --- The Rankings!

[DJHARKAVY]

Originally Posted by simplyparticular

This is a fabulous amount of work. Thank you.

My only reminder would be that numbers aren't everything. Every library's selection is slightly different, and so is their traffic. I have cards for both Buffalo and New York.

New York's collection is far larger. But it is more esoteric and young adult-oriented, and has lots of Mobi and PDF, with less ePub. And nearly every newish book has a waiting list of 20-40+

Buffalo's collection is significantly smaller, but it has a larger selection of new books being added regularly, many are "popular" in their genres, and waiting lists, if it all, are 2-5 people. And it tends to focus more on ePub, less on PDF, and no Mobi.

Can you get a Buffalo card from outside of Erie County?

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by DJHARKAVY

Can you get a Buffalo card from outside of Erie County?

There is a $40 annual fee if you don't live or work in Erie County. Must be a resident of New York State and apply in person.

[pholy]

Please welcome our newest entry ... Ontario ... to our group. Although, technically they come in at #22 it's possible they may speed over a few others at the next update.

Is that Ontario county in California or the province of Ontario in Canada? Or any of several other places in the USofA? See Ontario (disambiguation) Honestly I was surprised it was such a popular place name. And I'm unaware of a "Provincial Public Library" -- major failure of government advertising??? I'd love to have another library to use.

So which Ontario is it???

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by pholy

So which Ontario is it???

http://downloadcentre.library.on.ca/...en/default.htm

Ontario Canada. But not the entire Province. Here is the list of member libraries:

http://downloadcentre.library.on.ca/.../Libraries.htm

I know the Ontario Library Service doesn't include many cities like Toronto, Hamilton and Mississauga but that is what they call themselves.

[Fbone]

Just noticed Hamilton, Ontario has 13,851 titles. Looks like they will make the next list.

[Andrew H.]

I'm happy to see that Indianapolis added 6,700 titles since the last update!

I wonder whether there is any way of telling how many e-books (not titles) that a library has. I know that the IMCPL has multiple copies of a lot of recent bestselling titles (i.e., they have 13 copies of the latest Lee Child), so it would be interesting to see that information, too. Although I can't see an easy way to get it.

[pholy]

Originally Posted by Fbone

http://downloadcentre.library.on.ca/...en/default.htm

Ontario Canada. But not the entire Province. Here is the list of member libraries:

http://downloadcentre.library.on.ca/.../Libraries.htm

I know the Ontario Library Service doesn't include many cities like Toronto, Hamilton and Mississauga but that is what they call themselves.

Originally Posted by Fbone

Just noticed Hamilton, Ontario has 13,851 titles. Looks like they will make the next list.

Thanks for the clarification, Fbone. I didn't know that service existed. It's (more than) a little annoying that if I lived in a smaller town I'd have access to more ebooks than in Toronto (~5300)! Yikes! On the other hand, I can reserve and walk over and get almost any pbook...

[DoctorOhh]

I'm just glad to have access to the Navy's Overdrive library.

ebooks - 11473
Audiobooks - 22117

[ScalyFreak]

My local library's ebook selection is extremely frustrating. Not only is it small (877 titles), but it is completely illogical. What kind of librarian obtains book one and book nine in a series, but not the seven in between? They have the third book in a trilogy by the same author, but not the first two.

I don't understand their logic. I really don't.

[kkay5]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

My local library's ebook selection is extremely frustrating. Not only is it small (877 titles), but it is completely illogical. What kind of librarian obtains book one and book nine in a series, but not the seven in between? They have the third book in a trilogy by the same author, but not the first two.

I don't understand their logic. I really don't.

I have seen this done in lots of ebook libraries. The libraries want to keep up with the newest books coming out and then as they have money they go back and purchase the earlier books. They are just trying to manage with the limited budgets they probably have for ebooks.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by kkay5

I have seen this done in lots of ebook libraries. The libraries want to keep up with the newest books coming out and then as they have money they go back and purchase the earlier books. They are just trying to manage with the limited budgets they probably have for ebooks.

I suppose that makes sense. But that doesn't explain why the Singapore library has books 1-3 and 5-9 in the same series. "Book 4 wasn't very good, lets not buy that one"?

[emilikins]

ScalyFreak - The public library here has the same problem, and it drives me nuts! There was a series I was half-interested in, but they only had books 3 and 4 in it, not even the first one, and they don't carry any print copies, so how am I supposed to try out a new series and author, unless I buy or accept the interlibrary loan charges for it? I'm just being cheap, but I don't make much money as both a library student and library employee.

I think OverDrive throws freebie titles into the mix, and librarians accept those because, hey, something's better than nothing, and they don't look too closely at the freebie titles, since they need to select what the library will "purchase." Now, why OverDrive would have some books in a series and not others - and out of order to boot - I have no idea. It could be that the publisher hasn't converted all of them to ebook yet? We already know that they treat ebooks like unwanted stepchildren and don't seem to care if they're full of typos or horrid formatting, so I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't looked to closely at what they make available beyond "Is this one still making money? Okay, let's charge more for that."

These are all assumptions. The librarians who deal with OverDrive don't seem to want to talk about its innards that much when I've asked, other than to confirm that although they "purchase" books from them, they're really buying a long-term license until OverDrive pulls the plug.

[RHWright]

Durham County (NC) recently added eBook lending to their Overdrive program (in addition to audio books). Admittedly 537 titles is a small start, but considering the state of public budgets, I'm not going to complain. That and just a few months ago, they had zero lendable eBooks, so it's a step in the right direction.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by emilikins

Now, why OverDrive would have some books in a series and not others - and out of order to boot - I have no idea. It could be that the publisher hasn't converted all of them to ebook yet? We already know that they treat ebooks like unwanted stepchildren and don't seem to care if they're full of typos or horrid formatting, so I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't looked to closely at what they make available beyond "Is this one still making money? Okay, let's charge more for that."

The particular series I'm frustrated about it J.R Wards Black Dagger Brotherhood books, and they are all available as eBooks from Amazon and B&N. That's why I'm frustrated actually. If they weren't, it wouldn't be as big a deal.

Thanks for the insights and info. I always enjoy learning how things work behind the scenes.

[elemenoP]

ScalyFreak, this happened to me (the library had the first and third of a trilogy in ebook format) and I emailed them, and they got the second book in.

eP