Have you read an ebook from the public library?

ficbot · 11-08-2009, 01:21 AM

Just finished my first public library checkout! I had checked my library out in the past and found its selection limited, and not updated very often. Turns out they must have been taking a hiatus to upgrade formats because they now have a ton of epub---several hundred, from fiction to non-fiction and YA. I am so excited and will definitely be buying less often and keeping an eye on the library offerings.

A lot of people talk about wanting library support as a feature on their ebook reader but I am curious about how many people have actually availed themselves of this option. I am also interested in learning from those who have what the best option might be for showing the library there is a market for this and we want more. Who should I write to in my library's power structure to thank them for the expanded offerings and ask for more?

So...library ebooks...

Have you read them? Do you plan to? Comments or opinions?

Anggun · 11-08-2009, 01:57 AM

Yes. I've been borrowing ebooks from my Overdrive library for almost 4 years. We got tons of other libraries too like NetLibrary but I hate having to be online just to read it.

And recently (about a month or so), the Singapore Overdrive Library decided to offer new ebooks in epub. Yay! I kinda hate having to read pdfs on my Sony Reader. I do find it interesting that the homepage now shows instruction on how to activate and transfer the ebooks to the Sony Reader considering that it is not sold here.

Crusader · 11-08-2009, 02:36 AM

The libraries over here don't support this service. I think the main reason would be that aside from the Kindle and the eSlick no other devices are sold over here. The cost of entry is also extremely high for most people. Hopefully when reader devices become more affordable the libraries will start offering the option, although that will take quite some time.

AprilHare · 11-08-2009, 03:28 AM

I would have said no except I remember DRM free PDF ebooks offered by my university.
No novels etc yet

Sweetpea · 11-08-2009, 03:37 AM

<sarcasm> Libraries lend ebooks?

Ask again in 40 years...

brecklundin · 11-08-2009, 03:44 AM

just never really looked into it as I already have a good decade+ worth of ebooks to read. I went nutz and bought pretty much everything Webscriptions/Baen had to offer and have been picking up on freebies and package deals as they come along.

Still, being able to read some newer novels would be nice. In all honesty I think I would pay for an annual membership for library access. I would prefer around $25/yr but maybe $50/yr if the selection is larger enough. I would love to see our local library go in the direction of that Prep School where they put in a coffee bar and lots of Kindles for use in the library. I already enjoy reading at Starbucks when I take a walk down there but would choose our muni library if there was coffee as well as web access and ebooks to access free while in the building. I say this because our library has just turned into a real slum book wise...in fact it might as well just be a video and audiobook store rather than support the 35 books still on the shelf.

Ea · 11-08-2009, 03:53 AM

Once. Just to try it out. The selection is very limited and formats are mostly PDF.

KarenH · 11-08-2009, 04:05 AM

I've been checking out and downloading audiobooks from the library for years, but never bothered with ebooks until about a month or two ago when it finally hit me

that I could use them on my EZ Reader (which I've had for about 6 months). Now the majority of my ebooks come from the library.

I feel very lucky to even have the option - I live in a rural area that has no library service at all - all the small towns in the area have their own little libraries, but there is no county-wide system like there is in most of the surrounding counties. Fortunately, the Seattle Public Library system has a great selection of ebooks, and offers cards to people who don't live within the city limits if they work or go to school in the city, so I was able to get one that way.

kindlekitten · 11-08-2009, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenH

Fortunately, the Seattle Public Library system has a great selection of ebooks, and offers cards to people who don't live within the city limits if they work or go to school in the city, so I was able to get one that way.

I am also in rural WA and was under the impression that we had a state wife lending policy? that there were inter-library loans across the state?

anyway, my answer is "I plan to, just haven't yet" (maybe one of the poll fairies can put that in there)

Musicman · 11-08-2009, 09:23 AM

I started using Library books as soon as my EZ-Reader Firmware supported ADE.

I check their first for the book before I buy it. This is a painless way to check out an author you have not read. I am finding that the number of e-books available is expanding, which is encouraging. I like being able to request a book and then get an e-mail it is waiting.

volwrath · 11-08-2009, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I am also in rural WA and was under the impression that we had a state wife lending policy?

Interesting.. you would think we would have such policies here in Tenn

Much like Ea, I have tried it from the local overdrive and it worked nicely, but their selection is limited and the website searching ability is very poor.

desertgrandma · 11-08-2009, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I am also in rural WA and was under the impression that we had a state wife lending policy? that there were inter-library loans across the state?

anyway, my answer is "I plan to, just haven't yet" (maybe one of the poll fairies can put that in there)

Your state lends wives? How progressive!!!

just kidding........

wyldkit · 11-08-2009, 10:29 AM

My local library (Chicago) had a decent selection, and I can't wait to start checking out books. The reason I have not done so yet is that I can't read them on my PRS-500. I have no interest in spending the time to break DRM and convert library books. I want something I can just drag on to my Reader and use. As soon as Sony either announces the "upgrade path" or I break down and buy a 300, I'll be taking full advantage of the library offerings.

KarenH · 11-08-2009, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I am also in rural WA and was under the impression that we had a state wife lending policy? that there were inter-library loans across the state?

anyway, my answer is "I plan to, just haven't yet" (maybe one of the poll fairies can put that in there)

Nope, there's no statewide system here. A lot of the counties have reciprocal lending agreements, but they don't all include ebooks and audiobooks. And here in Skagit county we don't even have a couny-wide system so if you're in one of the unincorporated areas (most of the county) you're pretty much out of luck. You can buy a library card for one of the small local libraries (I think about $50/year) but they are all so small they don't offer downloads, so if you're looking for ebooks that doesn't help much. If you're in an area that has a reciprocal agreement (that includes downloads) with either Seattle or King County, you're in good shape - from what I've been able to tell they are both among the better libraries in the nation as far as ebook selection. King County doesn't offer ePub yet, but Overdrive shows they have purchased ePub books, so it must be coming soon!

Sydney's Mom · 11-08-2009, 02:56 PM

Chicago Public Library has lots of ebooks, and has reciprocal privileges with a lot of suburban libraries. I like to use the library for books I will never read again - I have to strip DRM to get them on my kindle (pdf and epub, which are the majority), and I delete them when I finish reading them. The selection is rather limited, though. If you like bestseller fiction and cheap romances (books that sell for under $3.50) the library has lots of those. I actually use the library much as I did before I got my kindle - go online, search for material, put a hold on it, and check it out once it is available. Only difference, there is no driving back and forth to the library, or seeing (imagining) the derisive expression on the librarian's face - I live in a very small town; the librarian knows my name, and my daughter's name (three guesses . . . )

View Poll Results: Have you read ebooks from your public library?
No; library books do not interest me	3	1.99%
No; my library does not offer this service	49	32.45%
Yes; on a desktop or notebook computer	8	5.30%
Yes; on a Sony or other mobile device	81	53.64%
Other	10	6.62%
Voters: 151. You may not vote on this poll

11-08-2009, 01:21 AM	#1
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	Have you read an ebook from the public library? Just finished my first public library checkout! I had checked my library out in the past and found its selection limited, and not updated very often. Turns out they must have been taking a hiatus to upgrade formats because they now have a ton of epub---several hundred, from fiction to non-fiction and YA. I am so excited and will definitely be buying less often and keeping an eye on the library offerings. A lot of people talk about wanting library support as a feature on their ebook reader but I am curious about how many people have actually availed themselves of this option. I am also interested in learning from those who have what the best option might be for showing the library there is a market for this and we want more. Who should I write to in my library's power structure to thank them for the expanded offerings and ask for more? So...library ebooks... Have you read them? Do you plan to? Comments or opinions?

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11-08-2009, 01:57 AM	#2
Anggun Enthusiast Posts: 42 Karma: 657 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505	Yes. I've been borrowing ebooks from my Overdrive library for almost 4 years. We got tons of other libraries too like NetLibrary but I hate having to be online just to read it. And recently (about a month or so), the Singapore Overdrive Library decided to offer new ebooks in epub. Yay! I kinda hate having to read pdfs on my Sony Reader. I do find it interesting that the homepage now shows instruction on how to activate and transfer the ebooks to the Sony Reader considering that it is not sold here.

11-08-2009, 02:36 AM	#3
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	The libraries over here don't support this service. I think the main reason would be that aside from the Kindle and the eSlick no other devices are sold over here. The cost of entry is also extremely high for most people. Hopefully when reader devices become more affordable the libraries will start offering the option, although that will take quite some time.

11-08-2009, 03:28 AM	#4
AprilHare Wizard Posts: 2,981 Karma: 11862367 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Sony Reader PRS-T2	I would have said no except I remember DRM free PDF ebooks offered by my university. No novels etc yet

11-08-2009, 03:37 AM	#5
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	<sarcasm> Libraries lend ebooks? Ask again in 40 years...

11-08-2009, 03:44 AM	#6
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	just never really looked into it as I already have a good decade+ worth of ebooks to read. I went nutz and bought pretty much everything Webscriptions/Baen had to offer and have been picking up on freebies and package deals as they come along. Still, being able to read some newer novels would be nice. In all honesty I think I would pay for an annual membership for library access. I would prefer around $25/yr but maybe $50/yr if the selection is larger enough. I would love to see our local library go in the direction of that Prep School where they put in a coffee bar and lots of Kindles for use in the library. I already enjoy reading at Starbucks when I take a walk down there but would choose our muni library if there was coffee as well as web access and ebooks to access free while in the building. I say this because our library has just turned into a real slum book wise...in fact it might as well just be a video and audiobook store rather than support the 35 books still on the shelf.

11-08-2009, 03:53 AM	#7
Ea Wizard Posts: 3,490 Karma: 5239563 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kindle 3\|iPad air\|iPhone 4S	Once. Just to try it out. The selection is very limited and formats are mostly PDF.

11-08-2009, 04:05 AM	#8
KarenH Addict Posts: 281 Karma: 37762 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: NW Washington State, USA Device: K3	I've been checking out and downloading audiobooks from the library for years, but never bothered with ebooks until about a month or two ago when it finally hit me that I could use them on my EZ Reader (which I've had for about 6 months). Now the majority of my ebooks come from the library. I feel very lucky to even have the option - I live in a rural area that has no library service at all - all the small towns in the area have their own little libraries, but there is no county-wide system like there is in most of the surrounding counties. Fortunately, the Seattle Public Library system has a great selection of ebooks, and offers cards to people who don't live within the city limits if they work or go to school in the city, so I was able to get one that way.

11-08-2009, 09:23 AM	#10
Musicman Evangelist Posts: 440 Karma: 364 Join Date: May 2009 Location: New York Device: EZ-Reader - Samsung Nook's- Nook S/T w/Glow - Kindle Fire - Nova 2	I started using Library books as soon as my EZ-Reader Firmware supported ADE. I check their first for the book before I buy it. This is a painless way to check out an author you have not read. I am finding that the number of e-books available is expanding, which is encouraging. I like being able to request a book and then get an e-mail it is waiting.

11-08-2009, 10:29 AM	#13
wyldkit Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 2162 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Sony PRS-500 (until I have enough Sony Rewards points for the PRS-300)	My local library (Chicago) had a decent selection, and I can't wait to start checking out books. The reason I have not done so yet is that I can't read them on my PRS-500. I have no interest in spending the time to break DRM and convert library books. I want something I can just drag on to my Reader and use. As soon as Sony either announces the "upgrade path" or I break down and buy a 300, I'll be taking full advantage of the library offerings.

11-08-2009, 02:56 PM	#15
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	Chicago Public Library has lots of ebooks, and has reciprocal privileges with a lot of suburban libraries. I like to use the library for books I will never read again - I have to strip DRM to get them on my kindle (pdf and epub, which are the majority), and I delete them when I finish reading them. The selection is rather limited, though. If you like bestseller fiction and cheap romances (books that sell for under $3.50) the library has lots of those. I actually use the library much as I did before I got my kindle - go online, search for material, put a hold on it, and check it out once it is available. Only difference, there is no driving back and forth to the library, or seeing (imagining) the derisive expression on the librarian's face - I live in a very small town; the librarian knows my name, and my daughter's name (three guesses . . . )

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