Epub and public library

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I'll have to try that. Thanks. Does Adobe still allow you to download 1.7.2? (I'll look it up.)

There is a link to it part way down this page: http://helpx.adobe.com/digital-editi...-editions.html (You may need to set the Windows drive type to 'Floppy disk' in the wine configuration for it to recognise the device.)

[eschwartz]

If you verify the Sony eReader on a borrowed/library PC (make sure to sign out of ADE on the computer when you're done) then you may be able to do the whole thing on the device, without using ADE+WINE at all.

As I mentioned in the edit to my previous post, it seems as though you just need to verify the device with an ID (of any denomination) and then the onboard software can validate your library loans.

[speakingtohe]

The link I posted earlier has instructions for authorizing a T3 but it is the same on the T1/T2 as I did it on a T1 earlier
Same linkhttp://guides.vpl.ca/SonyT3

Spoiler:

Step 2 LOG IN WITH ADOBE ID (Adobe Digital Editions)



Option 1: It is easiest to use a public library computer to create an Adobe ID at www.adobe.com/account/sign-in.adobedotcom.html.

Option 2: HOME – APPLICATIONS – BROWSER – change URL to www.google.ca, enter search terms ‘create Adobe ID’, click on the correct match.

Or go straight to the Adobe page www.adobe.com/account/sign-in.adobedotcom.html, and create an Adobe ID with your email address and a password.

REMEMBER YOUR LOGIN AND PASSWORD! Otherwise a password reset will be required from Adobe.

Then:


HOME – APPLICATIONS – PUBLIC LIBRARY – INPUT. Enter in Adobe ID already created. Proceed with login.

You can create your Id on the Tx series Sony readers and then authorize other devices/computers with this ID. Sounds backwards but can be done fairly quickly.

I prefer to download to my computer and sideload because I can see more on a large screen.

@rcentros
Yes I was confused between posters. A T2 for $50 is certainly a good option. And it is nice for US citizens that they can borrow both epub and kindle formats from libraries. No kindle library books for us Canadians

Plus having more than one ereader is very convenient.

Helen

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Afterwards, it sounds as though you can download directly as normal; just go to the library, checkout a book, and Download: Adobe EPUB eBook. You will download the ACSM license, and your Sony Device will use the AdobeID installed by either Sony Reader or ADE to verify and download the book.

I've been working on this -- off and on -- all day. And I did figure out I needed a login -- which I already had. (I had converted some Google books to my Nook, using my wife's Windows computer about a year ago -- so now that part is settled in my mind.) Thanks to the suggestion by GeoffR, I was able to get Adobe Digital Editions 1.7.2 working via Wine -- not that I'm crazy about having to use Wine, but it's better than nothing. I was able to authenticate the computer and the Nook so transferring files works fine. I also figured out how to set up the DeDRM in Calibre and can convert Nook to Kindle to Sony to Nook to Kindle (in whatever direction). I buy my books -- I'm not a thief -- but it sure is nice to be able to pick whatever device I want to read my books on. (Also nice for backup purposes. I would hate to see my Nook go kaput and not be able to read my Nook books.) I borrowed an ePub library book (and returned it already) to make sure I could get it to my Nook. Worked fine, but I still like the idea of going directly to the eReader.

At any rate, all is working -- thanks. (And sorry about the rambling.)

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

There is a link to it part way down this page: http://helpx.adobe.com/digital-editi...-editions.html (You may need to set the Windows drive type to 'Floppy disk' in the wine configuration for it to recognise the device.)

Yeah, that was a sticky issue -- and, now that I think about it, I think that's where my earlier attempt with ADE in Wine failed. I did a Google search and found the floppy drive "trick" and then the Nook just took right off. Of course it took a lot longer than I make it sound here.

Thank you very much for your help. I feel like I've got a "full" Nook now -- as the library is sometimes an important part of my reading.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

As I mentioned in the edit to my previous post, it seems as though you just need to verify the device with an ID (of any denomination) and then the onboard software can validate your library loans.

I'm still on the fence about the T2 but I'm leaning towards picking one up. I like the fact that it has brightness and contrast adjustments. But I really need another eReader like I need a hole in the head -- and that's what's holding me back. I guess I'll see how it plays out. (Usually I stay on the fence right up until the time I decide to "pull the trigger" but, by then, the sale will have ended ten minutes earlier.)

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

@rcentros
Yes I was confused between posters. A T2 for $50 is certainly a good option. And it is nice for US citizens that they can borrow both epub and kindle formats from libraries. No kindle library books for us Canadians

Plus having more than one ereader is very convenient.

I keep hoping they start allowing other countries to use Kindles for borrowing books. It is nice and I feel kind of "greedy" about having that choice where others don't. Well, actually, I didn't think I had the choice -- and sometimes had to pass up a book because it was only available in EPub format. But that was just my laziness. I should have studied a little harder last time I tried this.

BTW, I read your instructions somewhere because I instantly recognized them, but at the time I read them I was basically in "confuse myself mode."

Thanks for the help ... and to everyone else also, thanks.

[GeoffR]

One thing to keep in mind is that there is more to public library borrowing than just Overdrive. Your library may give you access to other collections which have books not available from Overdrive, in which case you will probably need ADE to borrow from those collections.

In my case all of the collections I have access to are epub/PDF only, and all (except the DRM-free ones) use ADE for downloading. So the Overdrive app (or a reader with Overdrive integration) is not enough to access the full range of ebooks available from my library.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

One thing to keep in mind is that there is more to public library borrowing than just Overdrive. Your library may give you access to other collections which have books not available from Overdrive, in which case you will probably need ADE to borrow from those collections.

In my case all of the collections I have access to are epub/PDF only, and all (except the DRM-free ones) use ADE for downloading. So the Overdrive app (or a reader with Overdrive integration) is not enough to access the full range of ebooks available from my library.

I don't think my library has any other sources of eBooks, but I'll double-check. I believe I'm also allowed to sign up at some of the other local libraries (my sister-in-law and a couple of my nieces have already done so) -- so they have other eBook resources. Right now, just being able to use ePub and Kindle should be a big help. Strangely enough, they had some series (series-es?) where some of the books were in one format and some in the other -- which was kind of odd. Again, thanks for the pointers and advice.

[jreed3000]

Yes, having more than one reader is useful. I think I have borrowed a Kindle format from the BC library, but I am not sure. (The downside to having several kinds of readers.)

[jehane]

Not sure if anyone is still having issues but FWIW:

To read library books on a Sony you will need:
1. library card
2. Adobe ID (I don't recall whether I had to use a computer to authorise my Sony or whether I did it from the device directly)
3. wifi

You do *not* need a Sony store account - I've never had one and I'm on my 3rd Sony and have used 4 libraries in 2 countries. I've loaded books from libraries, Kobo (my main paid source), gutenberg, and random pdfs from websites.

btw, Canadians here have said that kindle is not an available library format there so it's unlikely.

[jreed3000]

I've double checked. I cannot even login to the BC library system with my Kindle. I think Kobo is headquartered in Canada, isn't it?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by jreed3000

I've double checked. I cannot even login to the BC library system with my Kindle. I think Kobo is headquartered in Canada, isn't it?

No, they are a Japanese company.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, they are a Japanese company.

They're owned by a Japanese company, but they're headquartered in Canada still.

[faithbw]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

How exactly is it unfortunate or offensive?

As HarryT points out, there is a good reason for it.

More importantly, what harm does it cause, besides for getting people to reread the book? Is this another one of those "Amazon is evil, just, you know, because" things? All the librarians I know seem to be under the rather stupid delusion that the important thing is to get people to read more. (Silly them, don't they realize it's far more important to protect literature from the degradation of being associated with money-grubbers from a South American river?)

Which is what Amazon excels at. Because it involves selling people stuff.

I didn't say it was "offensive". Please don't put words in my mouth. I don't like it because it adds another step to the process that can be a pain, especially for some of tech challenged patrons. I had one patron using a fire who used the Overdrive app to borrow the book and then had to go to Amazon's page to download the title. On a tablet, with EPUB, you just use the Overdrive app for the entire process. PDFs, also require an extra step. I honestly just want it so that all books, regardless of format, can be downloaded using the same steps.

As for the ad part, in libraryland, some librarians despise the idea of the library being used to sell books for Amazon or any company. This is because the library is a public institution that isn't usually in the business of providing sales for businesses. It isn't about Amazon being evil. It's about preserving the integrity of public libraries.