Last week we announced that NH Downloadable Books will now offer ebooks in Kindle format. This seems like a good time to answer some frequently asked questions.
- How is the Madison Library able to provide ebooks?
We belong to a buying group (consortium) called NH Downloadable Books, organized and administered by the NH State Library. Member libraries pay an annual fee based on population. The Madison Library’s annual fee is paid for by Madison taxpayers. The consortium contracts with OverDrive to provide online access. Titles are selected for the whole consortium by NH librarians, and purchasing is done by the NH State Library. If a title is in high demand, multiple copies are purchased.
- Why are some of the ebooks “checked out”? Why should I place a hold and wait for what is basically a computer file?
Libraries and publishers have been negotiating and renegotiating the best way to provide access to ebooks for years. The current model, with few exceptions, is that our consortium purchases one or more copies of ebook titles, much like libraries purchase one or more copies of print books. Like the print titles, only one person can borrow one copy of an ebook at one time.
- Why are some popular titles not available through NH Downloadable Books?
Some publishers (like Simon & Schuster) do not allow for library lending of any of their ebooks, others (HarperCollins) have limited the number of times a library’s copy of an ebook can be “borrowed.” Currently, the NH Downloadable Books consortium does not purchase copies from HarperCollins. Many of the members objected that HC’s limit of 26 downloads per copy was unreasonably low, comparable to having a print book available for library borrowing for only about a year. Also, as we get started with Kindle ebooks, it has been noticed that some brand new titles are available in EPUB format, but not in Kindle format.
- How can I find out how to use NH Downloadable Books?
See our webpage on Downloadable Books, see the NH Downloadable Books blog, and the “Help” section of the NH Downloadable Books site. Attend a Tech Talk at the library on using NH Downloadable Books, the next one is on Tuesday, October 11 at 11 am. Or call us to schedule a one-on-one training session.
- Does the Madison Library have a Kindle ereader to check out?
Not at the present time. When you check out a library Kindle ebook, it is linked to your individual Amazon Kindle account. We have a lot of questions about how Amazon will use your library book reading preferences. Patron privacy is important to us, and right now, we are not sure whether a Kindle ereader can be used by multiple users and also preserve individual readers’ privacy.
We do have a nook ereader, that you can check out to read an EPUB ebook that you’ve borrowed from NH Downloadable Books.