I love both e-books and the good old fashioned print book. As an elementary librarian, we are not quite ready for e-readers such as the Kindle and Nook. In fact, our school district has asked us not to use them because they are not secure. I do see a huge use for e-books though. Being able to project a book you are reading is fantastic for those little ones who didn’t quite make the 1st row cut. It also appeases both the visual learner and the auditory learner. Then there are students who want to read book but are struggling readers. There’s the audio digital book option where they story can be read to that student and you can still assess comprehension.
I do have some book apps downloaded on my iPad. They are a real treat. The books are interactive with games and options for how you see and hear the book. I love when the word is highlighted as it is read.
If you live in Great Falls, the Great Falls Public Library offers a wonderful service to patrons. It’s a service my husband has been taking advantage of for a long time. Until now, after a stiff prompting from my library class, I decided to give it a shot. Here’s the play by play of how to take advantage of this service.
1. You need to have a library card. You don’t have one? How embarrassing. Fix that.
3. Log in with your library card…you don’t even need a password.
4. Browse the titles. Make sure they are available before choosing one unless you want to get on the wait list. Hunger Games has over 160 patrons on the waiting list. Yikes!
5. Look at the types of downloads. You will see Kindle, Adobe, Overdrive and a general download for other e-book compatible readers. Overdrive is free and can be used on Apple products.
6. Also pay attention to the download description. If you are allergic to audio books, avoid the word “audiobook”. It seems obvious, but I may have missed it.
7. Download. You have 14 days to enjoy and then it’s automatically checked back in. No late fees. No dirty looks.
I’m so excited to be able to use this in my library. It’s such a fantastic option and can reach all kinds of readers. I hope you get a chance to check out Montana Library 2 Go…it’s worth your time.
4 comments:
I went to MTLib2go to check out "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and there were 52 people ahead of me! Books that are insanely popular usually have a wait and books that aren't currently in vogue are usually available -- kinda like print! It just goes to show how many people are using MtLib2Go!
I'm so bad about going to the library. I love to own the books and don't like the fact I have to give them back. I have been using my Kindle a lot more and borrowing the once a month books, its still hard to give them up but I'm enjoying the fact I can try a book before I buy it.
I always loving reading your blogs, you always provide your readers with great information. You certainly do know the ins and outs of a library! :) I was very excited to be able to use MontanaLibrary2Go. I was able to download the books right to my iPad. Got to love the number of wait lists on the popular books. Thanks for a great blog!
I love how concise your posts are. When I read them I am always thinking "Yes, I shoud have said that." I should certainly get more comfortable with this technology.
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