Library expands e-books

MEEKER I Remember your library card? That oft-forgotten piece of plastic now gives you access to a vast selection of digital e-books, audiobooks and music, as well as the ability to review your local library account online.By connecting to Book Systems, a library automation service, local public library patrons can access thousands of electronic books and media that would never fit in one local building.Go to http://meekerlibrary. booksys.net and click “display.” That will bring you to Meeker Public Library’s homepage, which offers options for seeing what you have checked out, searching the library’s online catalog and saving items to your “bookbag.” No more forgetting which book you wanted to read next or making a trip to the library to see if they have a certain item.By selecting the “digital libary” link, library patrons are taken to  the Colorado Digital Consortium. From there, search for and download e-books for your e-reader and audiobooks or music for your MP3 player.From a librarian’s standpoint, this provides an exponential increase to the library’s resources. Where a brick-and-mortar building is limited by square footage to the number of items it can house, providing access to digital media – free of charge – opens a vast selection of choices to library patrons. E-books, audiobooks and music can be checked-out for 7- or 14-day periods from the time the item is downloaded to your computer or other device. After its “due date” the information is no longer accessible.E-readers like the Nook from Barnes & Noble, the Sony e-Reader and most smart phones (iPhones, Androids, etc.) are supported by the booksys.com network. At this time, the Kindle e-reader from Amazon.com is not currently supported because Amazon chose not to participate in the library market, not by the choice of the library or of Overdrive, the software program used with booksys. “Last I heard, the Kindle will be able to work with us sometime this fall,” said library director Mike Bartlett.For audiobooks and music files, most MP3 players and phones with MP3 players are supported.In order to access the Meeker Public Library’s new network, you need your library card number and password. If you know where your library card is, make a call or stop by the library to discover your password.