# I pit my liberary's ebooks **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 15, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041 "2013-03-15T21:07:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041/61 "2013-03-19T02:54:07Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Do you mean when you recommend a book or when you request one? Because when I request a book, Overdrive lets me know which formats it is available in and I can filter a search by language, format, etc It’s just when I recommend a book. I was so delighted when I discovered the library actually acquires books based on recommendations, I do it all the time now! However, there’s no way to indicate what format you’d like to have the ebook in. Yet. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041/62 "2013-03-19T03:13:58Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > My complaint is with the recommendation feature from my library. I’ve recommended several books, and the library emails me when they’re available…but when I go to check them out, they’re available only as audiobooks or in EPUB format. I wish there was a way to limit requests to only the Kindle format so they’d quit breaking my little heart when I get a notification a book is available, but I can’t read it. Can’t you use [Calibre](http://calibre-ebook.com/) to convert from ePub to the kindle format? ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041/63 "2013-03-19T03:37:46Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Can’t you use [Calibre](http://calibre-ebook.com/) to convert from ePub to the kindle format? Assuming DRM is not a problem, you should be able to. I’ve done Kindle (aka .mobi) to ePub quite a few times, and am not aware of any reason the reverse shouldn’t be equally doable. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041/64 "2013-03-19T14:48:59Z")
I assume the Overdrive format _does_ block conversion, or else everyone would just keep their borrowed books. ---
**Author:** ![Donna\_Lange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Donna\_Lange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donna_Lange)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041/65 "2013-03-19T14:56:08Z")
One good thing from having digital books: Much harder to be burned by zealots. One bad thing about digital books: Much harder to burn books if you need a fire 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041/66 "2013-03-21T03:33:11Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Can’t you use [Calibre](http://calibre-ebook.com/) to convert from ePub to the kindle format? > [@Seanette](#): > > Assuming DRM is not a problem, you should be able to. I’ve done Kindle (aka .mobi) to ePub quite a few times, and am not aware of any reason the reverse shouldn’t be equally doable. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I assume the Overdrive format _does_ block conversion, or else everyone would just keep their borrowed books. I don’t know, but I’ll find out in the next week and let you all know! I don’t want to keep my borrowed books. I don’t want to steal from authors. If I love a book, I’ll buy it, just as I always have. I’d just like to have access to all the library’s ebooks, just like I have access to their physical books. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041/67 "2013-03-21T07:53:11Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > I don’t know, but I’ll find out in the next week and let you all know! > > I don’t want to keep my borrowed books. I don’t want to steal from authors. If I love a book, I’ll buy it, just as I always have. I’d just like to have access to all the library’s ebooks, just like I have access to their physical books. I don’t know if format-shifting (and/or DRM removal) is legal where you live, but if it is, you can use [free tools to strip the DRM and convert to another format freely](https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/drm-removal-tools-for-ebooks/). There’s even a simple Calibre plugin on that page which makes it super easy to do. Of course, don’t use it to steal books… delete it when your check-out period is up or buy the book. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041/68 "2013-03-21T17:50:33Z")
I still don’t understand the OP’s gripe. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041/69 "2013-03-21T19:16:14Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I still don’t understand the OP’s gripe. My gripe is that in principle books in electronic format could be lent out to any number of library users, for the limited period; but instead the library can only let so many people have copies at a time, which means availability is no better, and often worse, than print books. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-liberarys-ebooks/653041.md?page=3)