if you don't read library ebooks , why not?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by kith

Bright backlight (phone, tablet, laptop) ends my reading interest.

Me too. That's why I dim it way down.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Me too. That's why I dim it way down.

I try that on my smartphone, but when the light level is comfortable, the contrast is poor. All eyes are different I guess.

[jhagri]

Instead of being a member of a library and going to a library to read books daily, I like to read books in the comfort of my home. It gives freedom to read books by sitting or laying on the bed. Of course, it can be a little investment but over the time, you build your own library.

Some of the books were not available in my nearby shops, so to buy these books I had to go to a railway station where is a shop of a wide range of the latest books written by popular writers golbally.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I try that on my smartphone, but when the light level is comfortable, the contrast is poor. All eyes are different I guess.

I guess. I wouldn't even know how poor contrast would manifest itself to me. I see the words, I read the words. None of the devices I've seen/owned (including eink) made it any easier/harder for me to read the words at a comfortable backlight setting.

Not that I'd read for any length of time on a smartphone anyway. But not because of intensity or contrast. I just like to get in more than two or three paragraphs before needing to turn the page.

[305869]

I don't speak the local language where I live, and the local library's English catalogue is a bit limited. And when they do have something I want to read, I have to read it on the Libby app or the browser instead of my preferred reader. It's far more convenient to get my own copy.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by 305869

I don't speak the local language where I live, and the local library's English catalogue is a bit limited. And when they do have something I want to read, I have to read it on the Libby app or the browser instead of my preferred reader. It's far more convenient to get my own copy.

If you're looking for an English ebook catalogue, Queens Public Library still accepts international members for fifty dollars a year. It integrates directly with your Kobo.

[305869]

Originally Posted by meeera

If you're looking for an English ebook catalogue, Queens Public Library still accepts international members for fifty dollars a year. It integrates directly with your Kobo.

Thank you! I didn't know. I will definitely take a look

[Dsharma]

Originally Posted by meeera

If you're looking for an English ebook catalogue, Queens Public Library still accepts international members for fifty dollars a year. It integrates directly with your Kobo.

The variety of books they have is mind-boggling. From the latest bestsellers to obscure indie titles, it's all there.

[305869]

I signed up for Queen's Public Library. I'm quite pleased with my choices but a bit sad that their physical library isn't all accessible digitally, they have a ton of books I'd love to read that can't be accessed online. I should book a flight

[andyh2000]

Is there a way of browsing the Queen's Public Library ebook catalogue by genre? I'm a bit parochial and tend to stick to science fiction and fantasy but I can't find a way to see how many ebooks they have in a certain genre (any genre).

Andrew

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by andyh2000

Is there a way of browsing the Queen's Public Library ebook catalogue by genre? I'm a bit parochial and tend to stick to science fiction and fantasy but I can't find a way to see how many ebooks they have in a certain genre (any genre).

Andrew

This is the Subjects page from the QPL Overdrive catalog: https://queenslibrary.overdrive.com/browse
It has the number of books listed next to the genre.

Their Axis360 catalog fiction section is here, but you have to drill down from the side flyout menu, and there are no numbers listed: https://queens.axis360.baker-taylor....ubject=FICTION

Their Hoopla catalog fiction section is here, again, no numbers so you have to click on the genres to see but still easier to browse than the Axis360 catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/ebook/...nres/917232392

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

This is the Subjects page from the QPL Overdrive catalog: https://queenslibrary.overdrive.com/browse
It has the number of books listed next to the genre.

Their Axis360 catalog fiction section is here, but you have to drill down from the side flyout menu, and there are no numbers listed: https://queens.axis360.baker-taylor....ubject=FICTION

Their Hoopla catalog fiction section is here, again, no numbers so you have to click on the genres to see but still easier to browse than the Axis360 catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/ebook/...nres/917232392

And you get access to all three of those catalogues with the same library card? Wow. I might just fork out the $50 a year. Thanks for that info, that was very helpful.

Andrew

[John F]

Originally Posted by andyh2000

And you get access to all three of those catalogues with the same library card? Wow. I might just fork out the $50 a year. Thanks for that info, that was very helpful.

Andrew

I ghink only overdrive will work with your paperwhite.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I guess. I wouldn't even know how poor contrast would manifest itself to me. I see the words, I read the words. ...

Low contrast, for me, means the words fade into the background. So, unless I squint, I really don't see the words.

[BionicGecko]

Originally Posted by andyh2000

And you get access to all three of those catalogues with the same library card? Wow. I might just fork out the $50 a year. Thanks for that info, that was very helpful.

I did just that, thanks all for the info!

Just be aware that while the e-card is indeed available outside of the US, one's access to some content might be limited depending on where they are geographically located. Case in point: neither the Axis360 nor the Hoopla apps are available in my country's App Store. One might want to check availability before joining the library.

A few points to consider:

• All three sites offer direct reading or listening via the PC browser (if that's your thing).
• Overdrive ebooks work fine with my Kindle (registered with a UK address), and the Libby app (from Overdrive) works well with both ebooks and audiobooks.
• ebooks on Axis360 are available for download as .epub files with Adobe DRM; this makes it possible at least to deDRM those books to read them on an ereader (which I consider a valid use case here as the app is not available; just be sure to delete the book after reading). Audiobooks are in a proprietary format and cannot be downloaded and/or decrypted.
• For Hoopla, there doesn't seem to be a way to download any content at all. So in countries where the app is not available, this catalogue is PC only.
• It is likely possible to download the apps by changing your home country in the App Store, however this is not always practical; for instance, you might have region-specific subscriptions on your account, which have to be canceled before the country can be changed. As this is my case, I haven't tried this, and cannot confirm it works, or if a VPN is required to retrieve content, etc.

It’s also worth pointing out that the video streaming sites available via the Libby app (Kanopy, IndieFlix, Quello Concerts and The Great Courses) are all accessible from abroad; there’s some really interesting stuff in there!

Hopefully this will be useful to someone