Media Release

28 December 2011

e-Books make borrowing even easier

Keen readers who want to avoid coming into town to borrow a book now have the option of doing their borrowing through their computer – thanks to the introduction of e-Books at Whangarei Libraries.

Customers can download books to electronic readers by going to the Whangarei Libraries website www.whangarei-libraries.com and clicking on the Nove-L icon, selecting Whangarei Libraries and logging in using their library card number and PIN.

The system gives people access to an e-book collection put together by the Association of Public Library Managers Inc (APLM) consortium of upper North Island libraries and tells customers what e-book readers are compatible and what programmes customers need to download to obtain e-Books.

The APLM says the majority of ebook content will be in ‘epub’ format which is readable on nearly all e-readers and tablet computers. However, the Kindle is not yet compatible with library e-Book lending services.

Like any library, books may sometimes be in use by another reader, and in that case a person can make a request for the book when it is automatically returned to the system in seven or 14 days. It is not possible for a book to become overdue, because it will disappear from computers on the day the loan expires.

“We are very pleased to be able to offer our customers the opportunity to borrow e-Books and audio books free of charge,” said Whangarei Libraries Manager Paula Urlich.

“The demand is certainly there for material available electronically and will increase as e-readers and devices become more affordable. If anyone requires information about how to go about accessing these books there is extensive help available on our website and we have allocated three staff to talk people through the system over the phone or in person.”

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