Do Libraries have eBooks not available on the net?

Ken Maltby · 03-01-2010, 08:22 PM

What is the advantage of getting your eBooks from your local library?
Is it just to avoid buying them? Or are there books you can get from
the library that you can't find elsewhere?

Am I missing out on something if I have a reader that can't do Adobe
DRM?

Luck;
Ken

Ervserver · 03-01-2010, 08:43 PM

in my experience the library ebook selection is similar to their paper books, yea I check out what I can as opposed to buying. I only buy books I can't find for lending or I plan to read over and over.

PodPeople · 03-01-2010, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

What is the advantage of getting your eBooks from your local library?
Is it just to avoid buying them? Or are there books you can get from
the library that you can't find elsewhere?

Am I missing out on something if I have a reader that can't do Adobe
DRM?

Luck;
Ken

I guess this gets down to whether there should even be libraries since almost all of the books in them can be purchased. Before the days of ebooks one could justify borrowing books from libraries because doing so saved trees. Now that new books are available electronically maybe that will no longer be an excuse. However, not everybody wants to sit in front of their computer to read a book, and e-readers are in their infancy and cost more than a lot of people want to spend. Many people don't buy books if they are available from a library because they have no interest in keeping them once they have been read.

Sydney's Mom · 03-01-2010, 10:23 PM

I get those books from the library that I intend to read once. But you can't count on the library to carry everything - I just bought some philosophy books, that I didn't even look for at the library. The library is great for current fiction, bestseller nonfiction, and romance.

Alisa · 03-01-2010, 10:29 PM

My library's ebook selection is much slimmer than what I see at most ebook retailers. I have never seen something in their catalog that I cannot purchase elsewhere. The advantage is that I've already paid for the book through my taxes. I can read it without paying for it again.

Ken Maltby · 03-01-2010, 11:35 PM

I wasn't trying to make an issue of buying vs. a loan of books.

What I was wondering about is if the library eBook offerings were something
that might be unavailable some place else. What I might be missing if I could
not access the library eBook offerings. So far, it sounds like there may be
nothing in the library offerings that I can't find elsewhere and perhaps there
may be a greater selection through the online offerings.

Thanks,
Ken

SimonSays · 03-02-2010, 12:43 AM

The local libraries here offer a lot in both physical format and internet format. I go to the libraries here at least once a week, try for two times, and dl a lot of ebooks too. I am a HUGE supporter of libraries and donate many many books, and Wii games, to them.

alroy · 03-02-2010, 12:57 AM

I'll borrow a book from the library if its available. However, I have a Sony touch edition eReader and if I add a library book thats in PDF format or epub at the same time from the library it shuts down the other format that I didnt open. It does not do that when I purchase epub and PDF formats. My library even has a warning about adding epub books and PDF Books at the same time. This is what it says:

For Sony eReader users:

* Use only one version of eBooks (either Adobe Digital Editions or EPUB) at a given time. Downloading eBooks in both versions to a Sony eReader at the same time will interrupt functionality.

dmaul1114 · 03-02-2010, 01:16 AM

Yeah, you're unlikely to find stuff you can't buy. Just like print books, other than government documents, out of print books etc., anything they have you could buy.

It's just good for reading stuff once. I've not looked into it as it seems to be a hassle on the Kindle and a lot of the stuff I read they probably don't have anyway. And with the e-books I read mostly being $6-10 I'm fine paying that for something I'll read once anyway.

Crusader · 03-02-2010, 12:30 PM

Libraries in my country don't offer ebooks, but I make a point to visit my local library every two weeks and pick up the 4 books I'm allowed in that period. It's a great way to discover new authors and stumble upon something you might have missed otherwise.

Over here the libraries have to keep track of the number of books loaned each month to justify their existence. The more people that borrow books from them the greater the chances are that they'll be getting new books to expand their selection. I try to do my best to keep their numbers up since I can't imagine a town without a library!

thename · 03-02-2010, 12:59 PM

This may sound a bit tinfoil hatty but I'll admit it: I borrow ebooks from the library to keep my reading private. Our library's ebook collection is explicitly covered by the library's privacy policies which I find comforting. My library ebooks come down and then get loaded to my non-connected Sony and nobody but the library is the wiser. Which doesn't worry me as they've committed to not sharing the information.

Shaggy · 03-02-2010, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

What is the advantage of getting your eBooks from your local library?

Same as getting pBooks from the library, I would expect.

Quote:

Or are there books you can get from the library that you can't find elsewhere?

I doubt the Publisher would go through the effort of making an eBook version and then not selling it. That would be a little odd.

radamo · 03-02-2010, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

I wasn't trying to make an issue of buying vs. a loan of books.

What I was wondering about is if the library eBook offerings were something
that might be unavailable some place else. What I might be missing if I could
not access the library eBook offerings. So far, it sounds like there may be
nothing in the library offerings that I can't find elsewhere and perhaps there
may be a greater selection through the online offerings.

Thanks,
Ken

Ken,
In my experience, the libraries offer a subset of what is available elsewhere. I have inquired about certain books and authors at my local library only to be informed that it was unavailable to "them". Upon checking on the web those same titles were available for purchase elsewhere.

Regards,
Rich

Shaggy · 03-02-2010, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by radamo

In my experience, the libraries offer a subset of what is available elsewhere. I have inquired about certain books and authors at my local library only to be informed that it was unavailable to "them". Upon checking on the web those same titles were available for purchase elsewhere.

I don't know a lot about the infrastructure involved, but I wonder if that's a DRM issue. I assume the library would need the eBooks available to them in a format that supports whatever DRM they use for the lending.

thename · 03-02-2010, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by radamo

Ken,
In my experience, the libraries offer a subset of what is available elsewhere. I have inquired about certain books and authors at my local library only to be informed that it was unavailable to "them". Upon checking on the web those same titles were available for purchase elsewhere.

Regards,
Rich

Most libraries use Overdrive for their ebook lending which has a limited library of books and libraries purchase (rent? license?) a subset of that library (some much bigger than others).

03-01-2010, 08:22 PM	#1
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,465 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	Do Libraries have eBooks not available on the net? What is the advantage of getting your eBooks from your local library? Is it just to avoid buying them? Or are there books you can get from the library that you can't find elsewhere? Am I missing out on something if I have a reader that can't do Adobe DRM? Luck; Ken

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03-01-2010, 08:43 PM	#2
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	in my experience the library ebook selection is similar to their paper books, yea I check out what I can as opposed to buying. I only buy books I can't find for lending or I plan to read over and over.

03-01-2010, 10:23 PM	#4
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,895 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	I get those books from the library that I intend to read once. But you can't count on the library to carry everything - I just bought some philosophy books, that I didn't even look for at the library. The library is great for current fiction, bestseller nonfiction, and romance.

03-01-2010, 10:29 PM	#5
Alisa Gadget Geek Posts: 2,324 Karma: 22221 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)	My library's ebook selection is much slimmer than what I see at most ebook retailers. I have never seen something in their catalog that I cannot purchase elsewhere. The advantage is that I've already paid for the book through my taxes. I can read it without paying for it again.

03-01-2010, 11:35 PM	#6
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,465 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	I wasn't trying to make an issue of buying vs. a loan of books. What I was wondering about is if the library eBook offerings were something that might be unavailable some place else. What I might be missing if I could not access the library eBook offerings. So far, it sounds like there may be nothing in the library offerings that I can't find elsewhere and perhaps there may be a greater selection through the online offerings. Thanks, Ken

03-02-2010, 12:43 AM	#7
SimonSays No wire hangers, ever! Posts: 183 Karma: 540 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: O-hi-o Device: Sony PRS-300	The local libraries here offer a lot in both physical format and internet format. I go to the libraries here at least once a week, try for two times, and dl a lot of ebooks too. I am a HUGE supporter of libraries and donate many many books, and Wii games, to them.

03-02-2010, 12:57 AM	#8
alroy Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Toronto, Ontario Device: Bookeen Opus/Pocket Pro/eSlick/Libre Pro	I'll borrow a book from the library if its available. However, I have a Sony touch edition eReader and if I add a library book thats in PDF format or epub at the same time from the library it shuts down the other format that I didnt open. It does not do that when I purchase epub and PDF formats. My library even has a warning about adding epub books and PDF Books at the same time. This is what it says: For Sony eReader users: * Use only one version of eBooks (either Adobe Digital Editions or EPUB) at a given time. Downloading eBooks in both versions to a Sony eReader at the same time will interrupt functionality.

03-02-2010, 01:16 AM	#9
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	Yeah, you're unlikely to find stuff you can't buy. Just like print books, other than government documents, out of print books etc., anything they have you could buy. It's just good for reading stuff once. I've not looked into it as it seems to be a hassle on the Kindle and a lot of the stuff I read they probably don't have anyway. And with the e-books I read mostly being $6-10 I'm fine paying that for something I'll read once anyway.

03-02-2010, 12:30 PM	#10
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	Libraries in my country don't offer ebooks, but I make a point to visit my local library every two weeks and pick up the 4 books I'm allowed in that period. It's a great way to discover new authors and stumble upon something you might have missed otherwise. Over here the libraries have to keep track of the number of books loaned each month to justify their existence. The more people that borrow books from them the greater the chances are that they'll be getting new books to expand their selection. I try to do my best to keep their numbers up since I can't imagine a town without a library!

03-02-2010, 12:59 PM	#11
thename Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 396 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Sony PRS-650, Sony PRS-700, Kindle 2	This may sound a bit tinfoil hatty but I'll admit it: I borrow ebooks from the library to keep my reading private. Our library's ebook collection is explicitly covered by the library's privacy policies which I find comforting. My library ebooks come down and then get loaded to my non-connected Sony and nobody but the library is the wiser. Which doesn't worry me as they've committed to not sharing the information.