Free books. What’s not to like about FREE books? Nothing. Which is why I’ve always loved my local public library. Our public libraries have even more to love now – and I want to spread the word.
Public libraries throughout the US now offer their members access to a gold mine of digital resources. I will talk about ebooks here, but keep in mind they offer digital access to all kinds of classes and magazines, periodicals, and journals, and music and films too.
Free e-books. The majority of public libraries in the US ‘rent’ a digital collection of their choosing from a company called Overdrive. The Washington DC Public Library’s Overdrive ebook collection this year is 26,101 books, for example. Your library membership permits you to access this collection, and check out e-books, which you can then read either on an e-reader or tablet or (even) your smartphone.
How to get your free ebooks. To get a book on your tablet you need to download Overdrive’s app – Libby to your device, and then enter your library membership credentials. 
Once you do this, you can browse your library’s collection, and check out or place a hold on the book of your choice. If you have a Kindle e-reader, you need to link to your Amazon account and then checked-out books will show up in the same place as Amazon purchased books, including on your Kindle (instructions from Amazon). To get a book on most other e-readers, you access Overdrive on your pc, via your browser, and download the book file using Adobe Digital Editions [free software; you need to register for an Adobe ID to use the software in this way; instructions from Overdrive]. Then you connect your e-reader to your pc, and transfer the book (instructions from Overdrive). There are different ways to do this, depending on your e-reader model. You might be using Nook software from Barnes and Noble for example.
But wait. There’s more -> R.E.C.I.P.R.O.C.I.T.Y.
Now that you check out books digitally – the hassle of getting books from, and back to, the library, is gone. Yes, that’s right. No more overdue books. Ever. The library is, for all intents and purposes, in your home, in your living room, you might say. Now, when I tell you that all the localities in the DC metro area (see list) have a reciprocity agreement – you will naturally be very excited. Anyone eligible to enroll in one library, can enroll in any and all libraries. This gives you access to well over a hundred thousand ebooks. For free. From your living room. Truly an embarrassment of riches.
Happy reading my friends.
April Harding 