Public Libraries - Page 2

soulfuldog · 01-24-2014, 04:53 PM

I'm with radius (and others) on this one, I don't find many books from my wishlist in my local library, but I get plenty of books to read by browsing and finding ones that look interesting. In fact, I quite enjoy picking up books either from different genres, or just authors I don't know to give them a try.

speakingtohe · 01-24-2014, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l_macd

I'm with radius (and others) on this one, I don't find many books from my wishlist in my local library, but I get plenty of books to read by browsing and finding ones that look interesting. In fact, I quite enjoy picking up books either from different genres, or just authors I don't know to give them a try.

I am lucky in that I find a lot of books from my wish list, (2 miles long) but I am almost as often stumbling upon another author that I have never read before who actually excites me. It is not only about broadening horizons, it is about discovering that there is just so much more truly enjoyable and/or enlightening/interesting material available instantly than one could have imagined 10 years ago.

Helen

John F · 01-25-2014, 07:25 AM

My "local" library appears to be slow in adopting ebooks. They are part of a state-wide consortium (there are about 20 towns.) They've had ebooks for about two years, and they have 3156 ebooks. A lot of those were available before my town joined, and the rate of acquiring new ebooks is very slow.

If this is the "future" for ebook libraries, there are going to be a lot of frustrated library patrons (who are readers.)

tubemonkey · 01-25-2014, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John F

My "local" library appears to be slow in adopting ebooks. They are part of a state-wide consortium (there are about 20 towns.) They've had ebooks for about two years, and they have 3156 ebooks. A lot of those were available before my town joined, and the rate of acquiring new ebooks is very slow.

If this is the "future" for ebook libraries, there are going to be a lot of frustrated library patrons (who are readers.)

That's definitely not very many. It really boils down to budgets. While your library grows at a very slow rate, there are other libraries in the country that grow at a rate of over 2,000 books per month.

4691mls · 01-25-2014, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l_macd

I'm with radius (and others) on this one, I don't find many books from my wishlist in my local library, but I get plenty of books to read by browsing and finding ones that look interesting. In fact, I quite enjoy picking up books either from different genres, or just authors I don't know to give them a try.

Yes, the library is a good no-risk way to try out unfamiliar books/authors.

NickyWithNook · 01-25-2014, 10:24 AM

If there's a book I want to read, I check the library first. And if it isn't there, it might be there later. I also keep track to see if the price drops at some point.

The library doesn't have all the books I want but it has some.

tubemonkey · 01-25-2014, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickyWithNook

If there's a book I want to read, I check the library first. And if it isn't there, it might be there later. I also keep track to see if the price drops at some point.

The library doesn't have all the books I want but it has some.

The library always has books for me. My reading philosophy is based on availability. If a book I wanted to read isn't available at the library, then I'll pass on it and find something else. If I never read the book I wanted, then no big deal; I'll have read something else instead.

Above all, I'll never feel a sense of loss over books I've never read. Instead, I'll feel a sense of enrichment from books I have read.

NickyWithNook · 01-25-2014, 07:42 PM

I have health issues which limit the amount of time I can read, so what time I have available, I want spent on books I specifically want to read.

meeera · 01-25-2014, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

The library always has books for me.

The library eventually has most of the books I want to read; but a lot of them are too heavy for me to read in any comfort (trade paperbacks, hardbacks). Ebooks have been brilliant for me, and I really wish the library was able to expand its e-collection more vigorously.

tubemonkey · 01-25-2014, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meeera

The library eventually has most of the books I want to read; but a lot of them are too heavy for me to read in any comfort (trade paperbacks, hardbacks). Ebooks have been brilliant for me, and I really wish the library was able to expand its e-collection more vigorously.

How large is their ebook collection?

meeera · 01-25-2014, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

How large is their ebook collection?

The site is currently reporting 9633 fiction ebooks, 2497 nonfiction ebooks (mostly biography/memoir and cookbooks), 47 audiobooks. But if you go into "Most Popular", it reports 14009 books, so I'm not sure what's going on there (maybe kids/teen books aren't counted in "all fiction?") - however this should give you a ballpark idea.

tubemonkey · 01-25-2014, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meeera

The site is currently reporting 9633 fiction ebooks, 2497 nonfiction ebooks (mostly biography/memoir and cookbooks), 47 audiobooks. But if you go into "Most Popular", it reports 14009 books, so I'm not sure what's going on there (maybe kids/teen books aren't counted in "all fiction?") - however this should give you a ballpark idea.

Thanks for the info. Your audiobook collection would kill me. Audiobooks are my preferred format and I need a large collection. Thankfully, I have it. If I could, I'd gladly send you a big chunk of the ebook collections in my libraries. You'd definitely put it to better use than I do now.

meeera · 01-26-2014, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Thanks for the info. Your audiobook collection would kill me. Audiobooks are my preferred format and I need a large collection. Thankfully, I have it. If I could, I'd gladly send you a big chunk of the ebook collections in my libraries. You'd definitely put it to better use than I do now.

Oh, they have quite a lot of CD audiobooks (over 4000) to borrow from the physical library, so I'm not too bothered about that. They also have free seniors bus transport as well as a Books on Wheels van, so there's a lot of access there for those who need or prefer audio.

Also, I think those numbers are just the Overdrive audio - I see there's now a OneClick library I haven't explored yet. (I don't really listen to a lot of audio books now that my son is bigger).

tubemonkey · 01-26-2014, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meeera

Oh, they have quite a lot of CD audiobooks (over 4000) to borrow from the physical library, so I'm not too bothered about that. They also have free seniors bus transport as well as a Books on Wheels van, so there's a lot of access there for those who need or prefer audio.

Also, I think those numbers are just the Overdrive audio - I see there's now a OneClick library I haven't explored yet. (I don't really listen to a lot of audio books now that my son is bigger).

I gave up on physical items from the library years ago. I'm completely digital.

You might find this exchange useful for OneClick. We're discussing it over in this thread.

artifact · 01-29-2014, 12:35 PM

Don't forget to check for a recommend option at your library. I recently, and very belatedly, discovered this option in Overdrive. 6 books recommended, 2 days later my library purchased all of them.

With Overdrive use the dropdown on the left to change your search from 'My library's collection' to 'additional titles to recommend', or use the advanced search.

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01-24-2014, 04:53 PM	#16
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	I'm with radius (and others) on this one, I don't find many books from my wishlist in my local library, but I get plenty of books to read by browsing and finding ones that look interesting. In fact, I quite enjoy picking up books either from different genres, or just authors I don't know to give them a try.

01-25-2014, 07:25 AM	#18
John F Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,157 Karma: 63764653 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo Glo HD	My "local" library appears to be slow in adopting ebooks. They are part of a state-wide consortium (there are about 20 towns.) They've had ebooks for about two years, and they have 3156 ebooks. A lot of those were available before my town joined, and the rate of acquiring new ebooks is very slow. If this is the "future" for ebook libraries, there are going to be a lot of frustrated library patrons (who are readers.)

01-25-2014, 10:24 AM	#21
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 748 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	If there's a book I want to read, I check the library first. And if it isn't there, it might be there later. I also keep track to see if the price drops at some point. The library doesn't have all the books I want but it has some.

01-25-2014, 07:42 PM	#23
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 748 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	I have health issues which limit the amount of time I can read, so what time I have available, I want spent on books I specifically want to read.

01-29-2014, 12:35 PM	#30
artifact Addict Posts: 276 Karma: 3569616 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: jetBook (RIP), Kobo Touch	Don't forget to check for a recommend option at your library. I recently, and very belatedly, discovered this option in Overdrive. 6 books recommended, 2 days later my library purchased all of them. With Overdrive use the dropdown on the left to change your search from 'My library's collection' to 'additional titles to recommend', or use the advanced search.