My local library network has a decent selection of audio- and e-books, but it would be nice if I could borrow books from other sources. Are there any free lending libraries out there, accessible via Overdrive?
The question is, how would such free lending libraries be funded? Your local library gets money via taxes to pay for the books it lends out.
I did manage to turn up the following: 6 sites to borrow free e-books.
Also, this is no good to you right now, but during the summer http://www.audiobooksync.com/ gives away two free audiobooks a week (and uses Overdrive to do it).
Have you checked neighboring counties to see if they have reciprocal library agreements? For instance, I’m in King County in WA, but my library has agreements with Pierce County right next door, as well as the City of Seattle. I have cards for all three and can borrow from their e-book libraries via Overdrive.
This is good advice. Here in New Mexico any state resident can get an Albuquerque library card and use it to check out ebooks from their online catalog.
There are plenty of sites where you can get free e-books, and you don’t even have to give them back. Have you tried Project Gutenberg, for instance?
There is also Open Library, but I haven’t actually tried to use it, so I don’t really know how it works, or what it does.
Oh, and HathiTrust’s digital library.
Of course, if you want a particular book, or a recently published book, that may be more difficult.
Buy a plac card and sign up for your states best libraries. Then use their ebooks.
Can you be a little more specific as to what you want, and what format you need? Overdrive is rather limited IMHO.
I came in to say much the same. The county library’s selection of ebooks is spotty, but the nearby city has more (or at least more of the ones I can’t find in my county library).
If you own a Kindle there is the prime borrowing program where you can get one free book a month. Unfortunately the selection of that is stunningly awful - the only time i used it was to borrow a book on bonsai.
Barnes and Noble and Amazon both have the ability to lend books (though not all books can be lent) - ask your friends if they own books that you’re interested in.
flatlined, what do you mean about Overdrive being limited? They have whatever their participating libraries have - which can vary widely as I found with the two closest library systems to me. Yours might not have a good selection.
What is a “plac card”?
Maybe they dont’ have them in other states. PLAC = Public Library Access Cards. For $50 you get a card that gives you access to every public library in the state rather than just the one in the city/county where you live.
Wow, that is a neat idea. But it doesn’t exist in my current or two prior states. If you don’t mind, what state are you in?
Looking mostly for fiction, new fiction, the occasional biography, autobiography and historic non-fiction. Pretty standard stuff.
Overdrive may be limited, but I don’t have any experience with other e-readers or audio-players.
My local library participates in a regional association, so I get access to a dozen or so libraries. I’m never left wanting, as far as actual books go, but I’m finding it more and more difficult to find audio-books that interest me. I’ve resorted to what I think of as the second-tier of interest - audio-books that look like they might be ok, but I would normally pass over on the way to something better. Admittedly, I’ve found some pretty interesting stuff in that second-tier, but still.
Indiana. I thought it was a common thing in other states, but maybe not. It is a nice thing to have if your home city library sucks. The money I saved on buying books and renting movies paid for itself.
Yeah, I’ve never heard of this kind of thing. The term you used seems to turn up a lot of hits in Indiana but nowhere else.
I just found I could get a card for the Washington DC library (as I’m in a Virginia suburb). I can apply online but would have to renew in person (phooey, not worth the trouble). I have a couple of other municipalities I could check out.