Hello LTAIGers!
Since the library world has been a-buzz with eBook and eReader news and postings,and I know that a couple of BC libraries are going to be lending eReaders in the near future, here are some resources and commentary!
Library to Go our Provincial Public Library eBook lending resource can be a lot of fun. Or it can be a source of frustration.
In Summary
Lends eAudiobooks
- Some notes: some are compatible with Mac computers, many are not.
- Lots of security updating is required
- Great selection!
Lends ebooks
- Notes: Library to Go books can be transferred to Sony Readers and Kobo Readers (and Nooks!)
- Also compatible with Blackberries and Palm devices. They also have an iPod/iPhone app
- You can choose your due dates!
- The process is fairly painless for people that have registered their reader to their computer already.
Some recent commentary on Overdrive (Library to Go):
- There is this one by Sarah Houghton-Jan a San Jose Librarian: http://librarianinblack.net/librarianinblack/2010/06/ebooks-2.html
- The posting was then commented on by David Lee king (of that Library 101 video): http://www.davidleeking.com/2010/06/15/library-ebooks-can-be-frustrating/
In eBook lending news there was this article by the Swiss-Army Librarian (a great session summarizer): http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2010/06/11/nela-its-workshop-on-ebooks
Which included lots about what different libraries are doing and why, and offers a peek into the future.
And here is a comic by Brad Colbow about using Overdrive.
For the Kindle users out there you can have books as well! Publishers like Baen allow you to send a title to your Kindle (even their free ones) and the Open Library allows you to send select textbooks to your Kindle. And don’t forget Project Gutenberg!
And to end on a “cheery” note, here is a posting from the Library Law Blog on the questionable legalites of lending ereaders: http://blog.librarylaw.com/librarylaw/2010/06/may-a-library-lend-e-book-readers.html
ETA: This paper (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/magazine/20Computer-t.html) to be presented at IFLA, is an excellent study of e-collection and ereaders.
Where would I find how to transfer eBooks into a cart if that option is not available and how do you transfer e-books onto KOBO and iPad. My local librarian did not know.
If the transfer to cart option isn’t available… it might be checked-out. You can put a hold on any of the Library to Go books and the system sends you an email when a copy is available.
For transferring content to a Sony Reader or Kobo, there are two steps
1) Register your device with it’s parent company and download Adobe Digital Editions – this means that when your device is connected to your computer it will appear as a “bookshelf” in Adobe Digital Editions.
2) Once a book is downloaded you can drag the item onto your device (bookshelf).
Take a look here for more information:
http://downloads.bclibrary.ca/43499364-734C-44A8-87DA-F66C5AEB4ED0/10/386/en/Help-Reader-ADE.htm
and here
http://ebooks.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/14/session/L3NpZC9ueXhkeFE0aw%3D%3D/sno/0
(after the first time it is pretty easy)
I appreciate what you have instructed sfelkar which I had already done. But looking for a book on Library to Go is not as simple as looking for one on say a library website. Not only that trying to find one that matches the readers one is using (in my case Kobo and iPad with kindle app, iBook app and Kobo app) is further frustrating. It is much simpler to just sample the book then if it looks good to push a button for 9.99 and have it delivered in under 60 seconds rather than having to hunt and peck and click and drag etc. The time I would spend trying to find the book and load it click and drag it etc I could have half the book read!