Borrowing e-books… it can be done!

I have had several questions on how to take out e-books from the public library.  This article in Wired gives a fairly decent how-to, which is applicable both in the US and Canada.   For those of us who connect through our computers, you need your own (free) copy of Adobe Digital Editions.  Those who connect directly to the library will need a copy of Overdrive’s or Bibliocommons’ software for your device.  Most of the software can be downloaded directly from your public library.

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Check_an_E-Book_Out_From_the_Library

Also, in terms of sharing e-books, so far, unless there is no DRM attached to the file, the only way to share is by sharing an account, for example authorizing another device to access your Adobe Digital Editions, or other user accounts.

Here are a few handy links:

Overdrive: http://www.overdrive.com/Software/omc/

Adobe Digital Editions:    http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/

More info on DRM and sharing: http://dearauthor.com/ebooks/how-to-share-an-ebook-without-stripping-the-drm

A true Happily Ever After….

During the Christmas shopping season, an older lady and her middle-aged son came in to the bookstore I work at.  The lady wanted to know if an e-reader could be of help to her.  She showed me her hands, which were twisted with rheumatoid arthritis.  She loved to read, she said, but holding a book became very painful very quickly for her, both from the weight, and from the awkwardness of turning the pages.  Also, she told me she had lost an eye to cancer, and found that reading smaller print was very difficult for her.  I showed her the same e-reader I use, (Kobo Touch) which is very light, quite straightforward to learn since it is strictly an e-reader, and it’s a touch screen, so she didn’t need to manipulate buttons to use it.   Of course she could re-size the font, to make the print larger, as well.  She agreed to give it a trial run, and promised to let me know how it went.

A few weeks later, she and her son were back in the store.  She was very emotional as she told me that it was incredible – she could read again, easily, for the first time in years.  No eye strain, no pain, just sheer enjoyment.  I was practically in tears myself, and she told me how she was telling all her friends about these miraculous devices.

Maybe working in a bookstore, I won’t save the world – but I found out I made her world better, by bringing something she loved back in to her life, and you know what?  That’s good enough for me.

 

An e-reader e-vangelist?

The bookstore I work at carries e-readers, and I spend a lot of time answering questions, helping people learn how to use them, etc.  That’s my specialty.  I didn’t think much about e-readers until I was given a Kobo Touch for my birthday last year.  I was skeptical as to why I would bother using it, cool as it was, when books were working just fine, thanks – but it was so handy, especially in terms of

a)not funding the public library entirely on my late fees!  I can take out e-books online from the public library, and they expire after three weeks.

b)Brand new hardcover – 1/3 of the price, and about 1/64th of the weight, much easier to tote to various waiting rooms, and on transit.

I will never, never give up the real thing, but my Kobo has won a place in my heart.

I have a couple of customer stories too, that I will share in future posts – they may convince even the most vehement of – erm, what’s a word for people who hate e-readers?    Anyways, they may be convinced that, for some people at least, e-readers are the best thing that could have happened.