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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Giving e-book readers as holiday gifts?

We keep hearing that e-book readers will be among the most popular gifts this holiday season - as we mentioned earlier, don't forget to tuck a Library card application in before you wrap your presents! Your gift recipients will appreciate the ability to download free e-books, audiobooks, movies and music online.

If you're wondering about what kind of reader to buy, probably one that can download from multiple sources would be best. To find out what kinds of e-book readers support free library downloads, go here - there's a wide range of compatible readers. The library also has more general information about digital resources and how to access them here.

And watch for more information about special sessions we'll be offering after the holidays to help you get started using your brand-new digital reader!

4 comments:

  1. RE: e-book reader

    I liked the link that lets me discover which e-reader I can use at the San Antonio Public Library.

    I had a question about the prices for an e-reader. Which e-reader has the cheapest price. I would like a reader where I can upgrade the memory later.

    thanx a-lot

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  2. Hi, Frod! Glad you're reading and found the info helpful. As far as which reader to purchase, since we're a tax-supported institution, we really can't recommend one over another. The purchase cost will vary from store to store. We would suggest that you talk to staff at your electronics store and tell them what you want from an e-reader. They will be able to help you decide which one to buy. (You might also remember that some smartphones can also serve as e-readers.)

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  3. Westfall Library will be having an Overdrive Class Saturday January 8th from 1 -3 to cover the basics of using downloadables!

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  4. Don't know if this will help or not frod, I am currently a Barnes and Noble Nook owner, and love it. It is about $10 more than the Amazon Kindle which seems to be it's major competitor. However, the Nook allows expandable memory - it can hold about 1500 books internally with it's 2gb internal memory, I've added an 8gb micro SD card, and could now probably hold more books than any public library! Unfortunately the Amazon Kindle will not allow you to expand your memory. Additionally the Nook allows the ability to read epub formatted books, which is generally what most libraries (and free ebooks online) use as a format as well, unfortunately again, the Kindle does not. Both do however support PDF files. Hope that helps a bit!

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