Start the New Year With an eBook

January 06, 2012

I got a Kindle for Christmas. So did my mother, some co-workers, and about half of the other people I know.

Did you recently get an eReader as well? Don't pay for eBooks if you don't have to. Check out the free resources that are available, including the ones through the library.

Websites like Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive have been making copyright-free books available for download at no cost for years, and they have recently expanded to provide many eReader-specific file formats, such as .azw and .mobi files for Kindle and .epub files for NOOK and many other devices. Even stores such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble have eBooks on their site that are free, just look for phrases like "Free Collections" or "Classics," or do a search by price.

And of course, there is our eBook lending service through OverDrive. Though it can seem a bit complicated at first to borrow books this way, we are always available to help. Just take a look at the tutorials on the OverDrive website, call us here at the branch at 816.630.6721, or come in for help anytime. Jennie at the South Independence Branch also linked to a great instructional video on using OverDrive with Kindle in a previous blog post. I would definitely take a look! Many branches are also offering classes, including our own branch in March.

You don't even need an eReader to read an eBook. Almost all eBooks can be read on your computer or even a smartphone with the installation of some free software like Adobe Digital Editions or the Kindle Reader apps. Happy Reading!

Liesl C.
Excelsior Springs Branch