An article in GovTech last Friday reported that public libraries in North Carolina are now checking out e-library books. The North Carolina Digital Library Consortium released a collection that can be downloaded directly from the library onto the patron’s Kindle or Kindle reading app.
While this service is more convenient for the public, it is more expensive for the libraries. “It’s adding services for the customers, and they believe in allowing anyone to read a book freely,” [librarian Regina] Reitzel said. “That’s the philosophy. So we do pay more money than a person would just buying it.”
To “check out” these e-library books the patron just needs to go to the library’s website, confirm that their library account is in good standing, and then download. Like any other library book, the book will be due and not be available on the Kindle after two weeks, unless it is renewed.
Would you check out an e-library book?
E-Library Books Ready for Checkout on Kindles Through North Carolina Libraries
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I love getting e-books from the library – the hard part is that not every physical book is also available in e-book form, and the interface to browse can be a bit confusing.
I like that I can search the library anytime, anywhere and am not restricted to library hours.
One thing I would like to see (from the Arlington, VA library at least) – just as librarians go through and put shelves of “hot picks” or “newly added” books on a shelf near the entrance, they also need to have someone curating the e-book shelves to promote books that are “available now”.
The Fairfax County Library offers e-books too, but I have been too lazy to try to navigate through the process. My agency also provide a “Books 24/7” feature as part of our Learning Management System (LMS), but I haven’t taken advantage of it because it is too complicated to download/borrow a book. I still purchase books on my Kindle to avoid the hassles and I usually want a new book that is not yet on the e-book directory. We aren’t quite to the tipping point on this process yet.
This could be a huge step forward. Books won’t mildew or have their spines break. Wonder if the carbon footprint nets the same because of the electricity needed for the downloads and the kindles.