Borrow Library Books and Read Them On Your Android

I am a big fan of eBooks. I prefer to read books in eBook format on my Android than in the physical form. The convenience is unmatched. Since I always have my Android in my pocket or on my belt, I can catch up on my reader virtually anywhere. And, unlike in one of my first posts, two popular eBook format readers have been available for the Android for some time now. Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook. Well a relatively new feature of eBook reading is the ability to borrow library books and read them on your Android.

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To borrow eBooks from your local library and read them on your Android hand held you first need to have a library card. Most libraries should allow you to apply for a card on their Web Site. If not just visit you local branch to apply for one. Once you have your library card download the OverDrive Media Console from the Android Market. This reader reads Adobe EPub DRM (copy protected) books. It also plays MP3 Audio Book Titles. Now your ready to go to your library and start borrowing books.

1. Launch the OverDrive App and choose “Get Books” from its menu
2. Click on “Add a Website” and enter the zip code of your local library
3. If your town has several branches choose one from the list
4. Choose the newly added branch from the “Get Books’ screen. (This launches your Web Browser)
5. At this point you would use your library’s search or browse functions to find the book you want to borrow
6. Once you click on a book to download a chooser pops up. Choose the OverDrive Media Console
7. Click on the newly downloaded book and start reading

Once the time has come for you to ‘return’ the book to the library the reader prevents you from reading it any longer. At that point all you can do is delete it. If you did not finish reading it yet, simply borrow it again.

One downside I’ve seen is that my library system only has one copy of each book. Thus, for most books you have to add yourself to a waiting list. So, at times you have to delay your instant gratification by a few weeks. An, alternative is to borrow public domain books from Project Gutenberg. Since these books are totally free they don’t expire and are always available.

Let me know if you have any other tips for reading books on your Android. I’d like to hear them.

Terry

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