The Shadow
The Charles P. Jones Memorial Library is expanding its collection, but it won’t have to add any new shelves to the library.
The C.P. Jones Library has joined the Blue Ridge Download Consortium, a group of 10 libraries that has teamed up to offer more than 3,500 e-books and audiobooks.
“We’re very excited to be able to offer this new service to area residents,” said Lisa Hicks, director of the C.P. Jones Library.
With the growing popularity of e-readers, such as Amazon’s Kindle or Barnes & Noble’s Nook, many libraries are now looking ahead to the future of publishing.
“We’re starting to serve a younger generation, one that is constantly connected through text messages and cell phones,” Hicks said. “This is a step toward us serving that generation.”
The consortium makes use of software from Overdrive Media Console, a full service digital distributor of e-books, audiobooks, music and video.
Initially, users will be prompted to download needed free software and after it is installed, users are free to read whatever title they have checked out from the library.
Hicks pointed out that the new method of checking a library e-book out is very simple.
“If you’ve ever ordered anything online, then you can do this,” she said.
The first step is to visit the library’s website, www.cpjo-nes.org. From there, users simply click on the Overdrive link, sign in through the Charles P. Jones Memorial Library with a valid library card and then begin browsing.
“I really recommend that first time visitors work through the Quick Start Guide,” Hicks said. “It will guide them through downloading the software and getting started.”
The software is compatible with most Apple and Android devices, as well PC and Mac computers and e-readers such as the Nook and Sony Reader.
Amazon’s Kindle does not yet work with the system, but both Amazon and Overdrive expect to have software compatible with the Kindle later this year.
With over 3,500 e-books and audiobooks to choose from, online users will find plenty of titles to choose from.
“It works just like checking out a book here,” Hicks said.
The books can be checked out for up to 14 days. At the end of the lending period, the title is automatically returned to the library, which eliminates late fees.
Of course, the 3,500 titles available online pales in comparison to the more than 90,000 available at the library itself, but Hicks expects that to change as time passes.
“It’s not just the C.P. Jones Library that will be buying e-books,” Hicks said. “All of the libraries in the consortium will be contributing to it. That’s going to add up eventually.”
While the publishing industry is rapidly moving toward a more e-book focused market, there will always be those who stand by the traditional bound copies of their favorites books.
“I think there will always be people who appreciate printed books,” Hicks said.
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For more information, or to check out an e-book or audiobooks, log on www.cpjones.org or call 962-3321.
