NEW BERLIN – In January, patrons of the Four County Library System will be able to download an electronic archive of text for tens of thousands of books without ever having to leave their home computer.
Director Darlene LaBrie explained the New Berlin Library will be one among 36 area libraries to participate in the program, which will offer free downloadable audiobooks and electronic books through the Four County Library’s website, www.4CLS.org.
“These services will be great for people not wanting to leave their home. Electronic books and audio can never replace print, there’s just something about the feel of it, but it shouldn’t keep us from taking advantage of new technology. The electronic books will help many disabled people, who rely on audio or have limited mobility, to access their local libraries at the click of a button,” said LaBrie.
“As of Jan. 18, these new materials can be downloaded to a computer and many electronic readers, including Nook, Kobo, Literati, Pandigital, Sony’s e-reader and Apple’s iPad, along with MP3 players, the iPhone, Android and other portable devices,” said a Dec. 21 announcement from the Four County Library System.
LaBrie said the content from the electronic library would be shared among all the participating locations and includes many documents already part of the public domain, such as most classics.
“Downloaded items have a two-week loan period with automatic return, so there will never be a fine for an overdue audiobook or eBook,” stated the Four County Library announcement.
LaBrie said the 30,000-plus archive would also include other titles and was a paid service that each individual library choose to opt into, provided they’re connected to the Internet.
Of the 42 libraries in the four county system, 36 have decided to take advantage of the program which offered some incentives to join. LaBrie said at least two local libraries weren’t yet online and couldn’t join the service.
“The group that’s offering the service to us, OverDrive, I think was hoping to get as many people participating at once as possible and offered some incentives, so joining later would be a little more expensive,” said LaBrie.
LaBrie said New Berlin and the other participants each paid a portion of the over all cost determined by the level of the library’s current circulation.
“A library like Norwich, whose circulation is higher than ours, will be expected to pay more since more people, it’s assumed, will access the content,” said LaBrie. “I think it’s a good way to work it out because small libraries with small budgets will have to pay the smallest cost to participate.”
In order to access the online materials, one must be a card carrying member of the Four County Library system, which includes Broome, Chenango, Delaware and Otesgo counties. Each library member is assigned a PIN number and that number is used to access the archive. LaBrie said members should visit their local libraries in person to get the PIN number if they didn’t already know it.
Though the system adapts to many forms of media technology officials have pointed out that the popular eBook reader, Amazon’s Kindle, will not work with the archive.
“We’re told Kindle will be coming on board in the next 12 to 24 months, but for now they seem more interested in making money directly from the consumer,” said LaBrie.
LaBrie said the system was designed for people to use from home so they shouldn’t have to come into the library. “It’s really meant for the home; it’s an outreach. Accessing the website has been designed for the less technology savvy and walks you through what you need to do,” she said. LaBrie also added that open platform devices such as iPhones and Droids could access the information directly.