I got myself a library card the other week. Then idea started when I went with my sister and 4-year old niece to collect their cards. Our local library is actually tiny but there’s a kiddie section with a few bookshelves full, plus a little table where you can do colouring in, so my niece is in her element. Anyway, that visit is what spurred me on to get my own card.
So our local library is tiny but the card is valid for every library in our county, which is nice, and it also gets you access to this app called BorrowBox. Holey moley, there’s ebooks, audiobooks and magazines. I borrowed the latest issue of Stuff just to test it Out, and the app asked me if I wanted to subscribe to make sure I get new issues when they’re available. You know when you kind of flinch as soon as app uses the word ‘subscribe’? I flinched, but then, I thought like, no, actually, this is really free. My mind was blown.
So yes, I know none of this is new, this is how libraries have always worked but wowser I’m really excited to dive in. I’m trying out my first ever audio-book (‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig) and looking forward to browsing through magazines.
(I’m a little bit less enthusiastic about the ebooks: there’s plenty there but I’d need to use my phone or iPad to read them and I’d much rather use an e-reader. Still might check a few books out some time. My library also does Libby, which I
can read on my Kobo, but the selection of books is MUCH smaller. Still though, awesome that all this exists, isn’t it?)
UPDATE since I discovered this draft never got posted: I can read all of the ebooks on my Kobo! Borrowbox uses Adobe Digital Editions so I have to go via the laptop and transfer the books over USB but, actually I find I’m kind of liking the change of pace from that at the moment