joining usa libraries from outside of USA ?

[cybmole]

wow - I stand corrected

maybe piracy is a better option after all

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by cybmole

so much pessimism - are they really gonna take your money for an overseas card & then say BTW - you have to show up in person to checkout any of our e-books

PS the OLCS option is expensive at $125 - but on their fee paying card application page it does say:
"I hereby apply for the privilege to check out materials...." is that good enough for you or are you still skeptical ?

And how would they enforce it anyway?

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

It's not pessimism; it's based on reality. Their statement was ambiguous. All I wanted was confirmation that they allowed digital checkouts and blueinfj provided that.

As to whether a library will take your out-of-state money and then require you to show up in person to check out books - it does happen.

Hennepin County Library offers a non-resident card for $60 and won't allow checkout of downloadable content. So here's a library that will take your money and then require you to show up in person.

The difference is they only allow physical books -- which naturally require physical pickup.

If they give your card info to OverDrive (and other systems) how are they going to tell those systems, "Oh, they can reserve books but they can't check them out until they come over to our library computers to do it"?? I mean, really!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

If they give your card info to OverDrive (and other systems) how are they going to tell those systems, "Oh, they can reserve books but they can't check them out until they come over to our library computers to do it"?? I mean, really!

That statement could've been in error. I was questioning it because it didn't explicitly say ebooks could be checked out. I already knew of one major library that allowed out-of-state cards and wouldn't allow ebooks to be checked out. So I was beginning to wonder if this one might be another one that did the same thing.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by cybmole

wow - I stand corrected

No problem

[Tarana]

Where does it say that fee cards have access to ebooks?

Yes, always double check this. I found out that if I apply at Hennepin county using my own address, I can check out physical books, but I can't download ebooks or audiobooks. So, I'm waiting for an OK from my cousin to use her address since she doesn't use the library anyway.

[cybmole]

Quote:
Where does it say that fee cards have access to ebooks?

"With your library card number and PIN, you can access:
Electronic Resources - downloadable ebooks and audiobooks, streaming music, and hundreds of great databases!"

http://www.freelibrary.org/registration/loan.htm

+ what made me start this thread was reading the 2011 thread about how non USA readers had signed up & were able to access e-books.

OK, maybe some small libraries in hicksville, middle-of-nowhere have a less liberal policy,so debate that if you must. All I wanted to do was check if I could sign up for free library of Philadelphia from outside of USA & as at now it is looking plausible, I emailed them Sunday & they got back to me today, say allow another 14 days but things are moving.

I have not found a single "Philadelphia screwed me over- took my money but did not allow me ebooks" posting anywhere on the net.

Brooklyn seems to have had a yes, no, maybe, yes, no.... policy ( from reading other discussions) but as at now they are in a NO phase for non US. I posted the email response I received. ( but other folks got in OK in 2012 ! )

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by cybmole

Quote:
Where does it say that fee cards have access to ebooks?

That was in reference to Orange County. Already knew that Brooklyn and Philadelphia allowed ebook checkouts and that Hennepin did not.

[cybmole]

update - my attempt at joining in Philadelphia free library from UK not looking so good now.
I sent the application form & had confirmation on 23rd Jan. they said 10-14 business days for next step.

I will share this with the processing team, you should hear in 10-14 business days.

I send a follow up message to same address last thursday ( i.e. after 10 business days) asking for progress.

NO reply as at today (Tuesday 11th feb)

I am not feeling good about eventually sending money to folks who are so bad at responding & I am left wondering if my application is in-progress or in-the-bin somewhere

[cybmole]

I'm finally in ( on the day that the library is closing due to extreme weather ! )
took 3 weeks.

payment was easy.

they set up your account so that you are owing $50 but it only takes a couple of minutes to pay that by credit card, then access is immediate.

My only immediate gripe is that "available" on their ebook search results does not actually mean available - sometimes it means that you have to place a hold & wait.

[LadyKate]

Originally Posted by cybmole

so much pessimism - are they really gonna take your money for an overseas card & then say BTW - you have to show up in person to checkout any of our e-books

PS the OLCS option is expensive at $125 - but on their fee paying card application page it does say:
"I hereby apply for the privilege to check out materials...." is that good enough for you or are you still skeptical ?

A number of places have been offering non resident cards since well before the advent of digital material.

I had to pay for a non resident card for a city that was "next door" to where I lived because they had a better library lol. As for international non resident cards, they have had them in Detroit US and Windsor CA lol.

[cybmole]

i am very happy with free library of phili, now that I have it working.
it took me a while to realise that there is a separate overdrive URL/site. trying to find e-books via the main site was tortuous, but once I stumbled across the other address & bookmarked it - all is good
https://secure31.libraryreserve.com/....overdrive.com

[orangedotgreen]

Originally Posted by cybmole

i am very happy with free library of phili, now that I have it working.

Thank you very much for updating here. I've been following the thread as my local libraries barely have any of the books I want in paper book form, let alone as ebooks.

I've tried filling in the registration form, but there is no option for non-US state/county in the form I found - https://libwww.freelibrary.org/register/getcard2.cfm Is this the one you used?

[dip166]

Originally Posted by orangedotgreen

Thank you very much for updating here. I've been following the thread as my local libraries barely have any of the books I want in paper book form, let alone as ebooks.

I've tried filling in the registration form, but there is no option for non-US state/county in the form I found - https://libwww.freelibrary.org/register/getcard2.cfm Is this the one you used?

Yeah, thanks to the OP for posting this question and subsequent updates! I was also wondering about this procedure.

Orangedotgreen, I believe the OP mentioned before he/ she contacted the library staff by email directly and not just filled in the registration form?
Anyway, I guess by now you should be done with it^^

[orangedotgreen]

Originally Posted by dip166

Orangedotgreen, I believe the OP mentioned before he/ she contacted the library staff by email directly and not just filled in the registration form?
Anyway, I guess by now you should be done with it^^

I read in one of the posts about sending an application form, but I didn't think it would be through email. Now that you mention it, it does make sense

I didn't do anything about this yet because I'm moving and I'll have a new ID card with the new address - sending the details for the old one and then having it changed a few weeks later might cause complications.

[cybmole]

yes, pretty sure I downloaded that form , edited it returned it. but for some reason the edits I did were not showing up for them, so I printed, scanned it, emailed it....
i added my country to the city field. i think I emailed it to the contact us address, but pm me if needed & I can give the email address of the person who responded to me. i don't want to post that publicly without asking permission..
you select a pin & put that on the form. when accepted they email you a the matching library card number - you need both to login.
at 1st login you are told you owe money -pay that & full borrowing is enabled

then use the overdrive URL, not the main library URl, for ease of browsing etc.
ttps://secure31.libraryreserve.com/freelibrary.lib.overdrive.com

PS as it is all done online/ via email, your physical address is not really that important. you are either in-state or out-of-state! no one has as yet sent me a physical card!