Kindle gets Library books via Whispersync

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

The Free Library of Philadelphia offers cards to none residents for $35 per year. It use to be $15 per year but with the increase demand they have upped their prices.

http://libwww.freelibrary.org/register/getcard1.cfm

 

[NotUrsula]

So it's a little like a movie rental store. They get in bunches of the new releases, and they clearance the stuff that's no longer moving. And this means that if you checked out, say, Watership Down today you couldn't count on it being available a year from now -- because the library might've replaced it with something newer, more popular. Interesting information.

Yes, that's pretty much the case with popular material that is licensed via Overdrive, at least the way that it is currently set up. Of course, as time goes on, the backlist of available titles will grow larger, and because the backlist is significantly cheaper than the frontlist, libraries will be able to have more of those titles available for the price. Also, it is likely that the company will offer a good price on "genre backlist collections" that will end up costing only pennies per book to subscribe to as long as you maintain a minimum spend level. (Classics can be kind of a special case -- some libraries are able to segregate funds for those into a separate pool used for so-called "core resources.")

Now if the library also uses eBrary you may get a bit more permanancy, because eBrary offers a PDA purchase model. (In library-speak, PDA stands for Patron-Driven Acquisition) In that model, ebooks that are in a packaged collection are triggered for perpetual-access purchase if the number of times borrowed goes above a certain threshhold. Perpetual-access purchase on a given title normally costs about 5X list price on trade titles, so most public libraries will set it to 5 circs to trigger purchase. (You will note that the PDA model is the complete antithesis of the "27 uses requires a new license" rule imposed by Harper Collins.)

PS: I use a Nook, and I always download multiple books at once. I frequently get a few chapters in and decide I don't like the title, and I don't want to bother going back to browsing through Overdrive for something else. I will sit down and browse for an hour or two and mark a whole lot of titles, then load them as they come in. I've got access to two public library collections, and the total I can have out at one time is 13 titles between them. Yes, it may be that some folks won't find what they are looking for, but I don't keep them long, and the higher the circulation numbers, the stronger the case the library will have for expanding the collection. Libraries live and die by their use statistics.

 

[Cheryllynn74]

Thanks for this thread! I have refrained from purchasing a Kindle because I use the library religiously. Even for my favorite authors I just put myself on the waiting list with 300 other people sometimes to get the latest book. Do new books come out available to download from the library for free? And I saw someone mention 3G and "ads". Is the 3G needed? And I assume buying one that has ads would be cheaper - are they a nuisance? Any advice is appreciated!

 

[puffkin]

The Free Library of Philadelphia offers cards to none residents for $35 per year. It use to be $15 per year but with the increase demand they have upped their prices.

http://libwww.freelibrary.org/register/getcard1.cfm

Yup I just got my card...I live in PA and so I could get it for free, but it is nice to have an additional selection of books!

 

[scard192]

And I saw someone mention 3G and "ads". Is the 3G needed? And I assume buying one that has ads would be cheaper - are they a nuisance? Any advice is appreciated!

I bought the $114 Kindle with special offers. One of the offers was a $100 Amazon gift card if I signed up for an Aamzon credit card. That offer pretty much paid for the Kindle. The ads don't show up when you are reading a book so they don't bother me at all.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Thanks for this thread! I have refrained from purchasing a Kindle because I use the library religiously. Even for my favorite authors I just put myself on the waiting list with 300 other people sometimes to get the latest book. Do new books come out available to download from the library for free? And I saw someone mention 3G and "ads". Is the 3G needed? And I assume buying one that has ads would be cheaper - are they a nuisance? Any advice is appreciated!

No the ads are not intrusive, at least not IMO. They replace the screen savers that are normally on the Kindle (and who really looks at those anyway ) and there is a small banner on the home screen. There are no ads in the actual books.

Plus, as well as getting a cheaper Kindle you get offers ever 4 days or so. Some of them have been really nice offers: $20 Amazon GC for $10, 50% off lighted cover, 20% off laptop computers, a lot of $1 book offers, etc.

 

[Praise2Him]

What generation of Kindle do you have? The first and second generations are not compatible with wireless transfer of library books since they only have 3G and Amazon doesn't want to pay for data on a book they did not sell.

If you have the first or second generation you are going to have to download the book to the computer and then sideload it with the USB cord that came with your Kindle.

Yes, that's it - I have the K2 Thank you for your help!

 

[dthogue]

I just downloaded my first library book - woo hoo!!! I have the book fro 21 days and I read how to return it early, but my question is this. Is my book removed after 21 days or do I have to actually remember to return before the 21 day mark? Am I able to renew the book if I'm not done with it?

 

[Kycha]

My library's main web page says it's offering it, but when I look at titles nothing is available, I have to put it on a wait or wish list. Maybe I'll try again in a week, if it's just rolling out there could be some bugs.

It's not a bug. That's just the way it is. I've been checking out ebooks for my Nook for 9 months now. I'd say 50% of the ebooks at my library were on wait lists. Now that Overdrive is available for Kindle that number is more like 75% of ebooks on wait lists. But as a PP posted, the wait time really isn't that long. I put myself on the wait list for a book and I was patron #39 on that wait list. And in 2 weeks, I am #1 on that wait list(there are 3 copies available).

Put yourself of a bunch of lists and in a week or so you will start coming off the lists. You have 3 days to acknowledge and accept your copy or they move to the next person.

This varies. My library gives me 2 days to accept an available book. Also, I can check out up to 10 books at a time for up to 21 days each.

I just downloaded my first library book - woo hoo!!! I have the book fro 21 days and I read how to return it early, but my question is this. Is my book removed after 21 days or do I have to actually remember to return before the 21 day mark? Am I able to renew the book if I'm not done with it?

No, you do not have to return your book when it is due. And no, you can not renew a book.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I just downloaded my first library book - woo hoo!!! I have the book fro 21 days and I read how to return it early, but my question is this. Is my book removed after 21 days or do I have to actually remember to return before the 21 day mark? Am I able to renew the book if I'm not done with it?

It will automatically return itself after the 21 days. That is one of the big perks of library ebooks; no late fees.

However, if you have not finished the book and want to renew it and there are other people waiting for the book you will have to put yourself back on the list and wait for your turn again.

 

[dthogue]

It will automatically return itself after the 21 days. That is one of the big perks of library ebooks; no late fees.

However, if you have not finished the book and want to renew it and there are other people waiting for the book you will have to put yourself back on the list and wait for your turn again.

That's great news - I was hoping I didn't have to keep track of it like my regular library books.