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My local library, in a small town, currently does not offer eBooks. When I asked them if they have plans to support offering books electronically, they said they have no clue how to go about getting set up for something like that. Are there some steps involved or a site I can direct them to help get them set up on an eBook program?

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When our local library started offering ebooks through OverDrive, they ended up becoming the tech support for Kindle, it seemed. Don't forget to consider this issue/cost. (and the annoying things, like how you can't use a pre-paid credit card to activate a Kindle ... it has to be linked to a real credit card, as best I can tell) – Joe May 22 '12 at 19:54
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@Joe, we experience the same thing (about the tech support), but we're attempting to take it in stride and become a more service-oriented institution. – JakeParis May 22 '12 at 20:03
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The public library I work at offers ebooks through OverDrive. I often find myself warning patrons that certain titles might not be available on OverDrive and that is not our fault but rather OverDrive and their agreements with publishers. It is rather frustrating to not have certain publishers present on the application. – KatieR May 22 '12 at 20:32
It does raise some big expectations. I've had people who think everything in the library is now available online! – foggyone May 23 '12 at 15:29

6 Answers

up vote 13 down vote accepted

Assuming they are a small library with very limited funds (and no available consortia), I would suggest they start by working with eBooks which are in the public domain. If they are able to set up a system to get these materials to their members, that would be a boon to the community, even if the materials are not Best-Sellers. Check out Project Gutenberg, a online resource with over 39,000 non-copyrighted items.

That being said, for a small or medium-size library with no experience managing their own digital content delivery system, I would suggest that the best course of action is for the staff to become extremely knowledgeable about getting eBooks from third-party sources (Amazon, Gutenberg, Blio) and onto their members' own eReaders. This knowledge can end up being the only thing that is required to help members get what they need.

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up vote 10 down vote

Internet Archive also has a program that allows local libraries to access its 20th century digitized collection, such that patrons who come into the library can actually "borrow" one of these digitized texts onto their device and then read at home. See http://blog.archive.org/2011/06/25/in-library-ebook-lending-program-expands-to-1000-libraries/

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up vote 8 down vote

For free, right now, you can add some Project Gutenberg titles to your catalog. The Colorado Library Consortium has 300+ cleaned up MARC records for the most popular Gutenberg titles that can be loaded in the catalog right now. http://blogs.douglascountylibraries.org/ediscovertheclassics/for-libraries-getting-started/

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up vote 6 down vote

This article lists several vendors who will be very happy to talk to your library staff about e-books:

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Just to note: Overdrive & 3M are priced in the tens of thousands. Freading is manageable in terms of price, but does not boast a good selection of publishers. Baker & Taylor's Axis360 is one of the more promising systems in terms of usability, but does not currently support Kindle format. – JakeParis May 22 '12 at 19:59
We've come across the Kindle problem, too. So many people use them that to dive into a system that doesn't support them isn't practical. – foggyone May 23 '12 at 15:20
And since Kindle has apps for iOS and Android, supporting that format would be helpful for more than just Kindle hardware. – Ben Ostrowsky May 23 '12 at 15:27
up vote 4 down vote

If it's a really small library, they may not be able to afford it. Public Libraries Jan/Feb 2012 issue addresses getting into the ebook game.

EDIT: They might be able to work with a larger group (county, area, state consortia) to help them, as well.

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up vote 1 down vote

You may be interested in WebJunction's list of ideas for getting to know readers and ebooks:

http://www.webjunction.org/content/webjunction/explore-topics/mobile-devices.html

I know that touching the readers, seeing how they work, how they feel, etc. is really essential, too. If possible, you may be able to do this at your local mall - if there is an Apple Store, you can check out the iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone. If you have Barnes & Noble nearby, you can get Nook info. Target, Best Buy, etc. have Android based readers. Online, Amazon's Kindle information is extensive.

The other side is the need for vendor information. Overdrive is huge and is the only one that is Kindle friendly, which means it can communicate with your OPAC for your patrons to be able to link to their library account. Overdrive is at: http://overdrive.com

An Overdrive salesperson will probably be more than happy to talk to your library if you are thinking about moving into ebooks.

As the others mentioned, having free options such as trying these out through Project Gutenberg certainly helps you get an idea. If you or someone you know has an Amazon account, and a Kindle, and can show you how it works that way, it's pretty cool to see.

One final thought is to check out other libraries' sites. For example, the Delaware Division of Libraries offers helpful info through their ebooks area:

http://lib.de.us/index.php/ebooks-eaudiobooks/

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