Kindle Library Books Are Here! How to Check Them Out.

Hey Kindle users, have you been wishing you could check out e-books from the library?  Well,  now you can, and it's really easy!  Amazon.com has put together a brief introduction to checking out library books, which is available here.  For more detailed information, see below.

Registering Your Kindle

The Kindle library book checkout process works in cooperation with Amazon.com.  The first thing you will need is an Amazon account, so you can register your Kindle. If you have already been downloading books from Amazon.com onto a Kindle, then you are registered.  You can skip ahead to the next section.  If you just bought a Kindle, or you're thinking about getting one, this webpage shows you how to connect to the internet (using Wi-Fi or 3G, depending on your device) and register directly from your Kindle.

During this process, you will be asked to enter your email address, choose a password, and enter your payment information (credit card or gift card number).  Of course, the great thing about checking out library books on a Kindle is that you don't need payment information.  If you don't plan to buy books from Amazon, you can skip entering your payment information -- just use your computer to sign up for your Amazon account instead of creating the account from your Kindle device.  This method may also be easier for people who would rather use a full-sized keyboard.  Go to www.amazon.com on your computer, and click on "Sign In."  This will take you to a page that looks like this:

Simply enter your email address and click  "I am a new customer." Follow the steps to set up an account.  If you plan on purchasing books, enter your payment information.  Otherwise, leave that part blank.  Then, on your Kindle, hit the "Menu" button, choose "Settings," and then "Register."  Now enter the email address and password you entered on the Amazon website.

Checking Out Books to Your Kindle

Now you're ready to check out books.  Go to our webpage, at www.mytpl.org, and click "Online Catalogs."  From the dropdown menu, choose "Download eBooks and Audiobooks). 

This will take you to a page that looks like this: 

Most of our eBooks are now available for Kindle.  You can search for particular genres, but the fastest way to find Kindle books is to click on the box that says "Now Available:  Library Books for Kindle."  If you have a particular book you are looking for, simply enter the author or title in in the search box.  When you find a book you want to check out, click "Add to Cart."  This brings you to a screen like this:

Now click "Proceed to Checkout."  Then you will see this page:

 

Choose Terrebonne Parish Library, then enter your library card number and your PIN.  Your PIN is a 6 digit version of your birthday.  For example, if you were born on June 15, 1970, your PIN would be 061570.  If you have any trouble signing in, give us a call at 985-876-5861, option 2, and we can help.  The next page you see looks like this:

On this page, you can choose your checkout period; either 7 or 14 days.  Then click "Confirm Checkout."  Now you come to this page:

Click "Get for Kindle."  This will open a new web page on Amazon.com.  Enter your Amazon login information, and you will be come to a page with a box similar to this:

When you click "Get Library Book," the book will be transmitted to your Kindle via Wi-Fi.

Please note that Kindle library books can't be transmitted through 3G, so if you have a newer Kindle with both Wi-Fi and 3G, make sure it's connected to a wireless network.  If you don't have access to a wireless network, or if you have an older Kindle that only has 3G, you can download the book to your computer, and then transfer it to your Kindle with its USB cable.  This link has instructions for USB transfers. 

This process may seem a little complicated at first, but it gets very easy once you've done it a couple of times.  If you're a Kindle user with a library card, you now have nearly 2,000 Kindle library books to choose from.

We also take requests! If there are books you'd like to see us add to the library's e-book collection, please let us know.  You can submit a purchase request at mytpl.org/catalogs/purchase-request.  Under "Format" one of your many options is e-book. Or give us a call at 876-5861, option 2, and tell us what you'd like to read!

How to Find Free Public Domain E-books

Terrebonne Parish Library offers a wide range of e-books you can download to your computer or electronic device. Because most of these books are copyrighted, we purchase them, just like print books; and you check them out for a limited amount of time, just like print books. But not all books are copyrighted. In fact, most of the world's great classics are now in the public domain.

Generally speaking, any book published before 1923 is in the public domain in the United States. This means the works of Plato, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, and thousands of other authors can be obtained online--legally and for free. Terrebonne Parish Library's E-Library page offers access to thousands of free public domain books, in partnership with Project Gutenberg, one of the largest repositories of public domain books. Just click the link on the the left side of the page that looks like this:

This will take you to a page that lets you search for books by keyword. If you want to search by title or author, you may want to go to Project Gutenberg itself. Simply search for the author or title you want to read. For example, if you searched for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you would find several different versions of the book. Clicking on the top one takes you to a page that looks like this:

This shows all the different file formats the book is available in. You can click on HTML to read the book on your computer, but most e-book readers are more compatible with PDF and EPUB ebooks. EPUB is usually the best choice for readers such as the Nook and Sony Reader, because it is designed specifically for e-readers. If you have a Kindle, there is usually a Kindle-formatted version available. Each e-reader works a little differently, and there are so many of them that it is impossible to explain how to download free e-books in a blog post. However, it is usually easy to find instructions online for each device.

Of course, Project Gutenberg is just one of the most famous providers of free e-books. There are many others, of varying quality, which can be found online. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the Sony Reader store also have sections devoted to free ebooks. These include public domain books, as well as copyrighted works that are being given away, usually by new authors who are trying to get their work noticed. These also vary in quality, but there is always the possibility of discovering a great new author.

If you need help downloading public domain ebooks, just give the Reference Department a call at 876-1733, option 2.

Happy free e-reading!

How to Check Out E-Books from Terrebonne Parish Library

Do you have an e-book reader, or are you thinking about getting one? If so, you're not alone.  E-books have finally hit the big time. Earlier this year, e-book sales surpassed print book sales--both paperback and hardback--for the first time ever. This doesn't mean print books are going away, but it does mean people have more options for reading their favorite authors. Some people assume that e-books and libraries are incompatible, but the truth is, Terrebonne Parish Library has a large and growing collection of e-books.  If you have a computer, an internet connection, and a library card, you can check them out without ever leaving your house.

So what exactly does it mean to "check out" an e-book?  Basically, it means you download an electronic version of the book to a computer, e-reader, or other mobile device.  You can choose whether to check the book out for one week or two.  At the end of this period, the book "returns" itself, by expiring and becoming unreadable.  Then you can simply delete it from your device.

To see our selection of e-books, go to the library's website at www.mytpl.org, and click on e-library, as shown below.

 

This link takes you to our e-library page, which is powered by a company called Overdrive.  The e-library page offers more than just e-books;  you can also download audiobooks, music, and videos.  We'll focus on e-books in this post.  To browse e-books, you can either click on the e-books pictured, or go to the links on the left side of the page, labeled "eBook Fiction" and "eBook Nonfiction".  Clicking on either one will open a menu with several categories:

 

If you don't yet have an e-reader, and you're trying to decide which one to buy, this link has a list of compatible devices (the Amazon Kindle doesn't work with library e-books right now, but Amazon has announced that it will sometime later this year).  If you already have an e-book reader, the process of downloading books depends on which reader you have.  This is where it gets a little complicated.  Luckily, the library's e-book page has a new tool called MyHelp, which will get you started.  Just look near the top left side of the page for the icon shown below.  Clicking this link opens an interactive tutorial that will guide you through the steps of downloading your first library e-book.

There are several steps required to set up your device the first time.  You will need to download software to your computer, or download an app to your Apple or Android mobile device.  This can be a little confusing at first, but the MyHelp tool will tell you exactly what you need to do.  During the setup process, you will be prompted to register your computer or portable device with Adobe.  This is required, because Adobe handles the rights-management technology that allows e-books to be checked out and returned.  

If you are downloading to a computer, or to most e-readers, you will need to download a program called Adobe Digital Editions.  The MyHelp tool provides a link to the download, and some basic instructions.  If you need more help with Adobe Digital Editions, the Terrebonne Parish Library IT staff has developed a handy guide, available here.  The first part of the guide explains how to install Adobe Digital Editions, and the second part explains how to browse for e-books, add them to your cart, and download them. 

If you have any questions, or run into any problems, just give the library reference staff a call at 876-1733.  We'll be glad to help get you started reading your first library e-book!  

Go High-Tech at Your Library!

For anyone who still views their local library as a dusty room full of outdated books, here is a wake-up call about how your library’s connection to technology can help you access your reading material.



Place Books on Hold

Want to place a book on hold without coming into the library? Here’s how!

If you’re looking for something to read, the library has made it even easier for you to get what you’re looking for. Just find what you want to read on our website via our online catalog and place the item on hold online by clicking either the “REQUEST” or “HOLD REQUEST” button. Once the book is ready, the library will call you and all you have to do is pick it up! It’s that easy. At the main branch, you can even go through our drive-thru to check-out your book. Of course, for those of you who still prefer to place holds over the phone, you can always call any of our branches and ask that a book be put on hold for you.

http://aqua.terrebonne.lib.la.us%228080/#bookriver
http://tess.terrebonne.lib.la.us/pac.opac

E-Books

If you really can’t get out, the library can get books to you via our website. By going to our E-Library webpage, you can search our titles of audiobooks, e-books, music, and videos, find the title you’re interested in, and download it. For free! All you need is a library card and a computer, IPod, or MP3 player. Visit the link below and start browsing now!

http://terrebonne.lib.overdrive.com/8578EC73-4C88-4007-8EB6-C1D3BDC1DE97/10/397/en/Default.htm