Heads up to our iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod, etc.) Overdrive users.  On May 29 Overdrive will release an update for the Overdrive app but before you hit that update button you'll want to review the instructions I've pasted below.  

The short story is that this update of the Overdrive app will require you to re-authorize your Adobe ID after the app has updated. 

 We are very happy to announce that eBook selection will soon expand rapidly for ELPL patrons.  In the last few weeks two major publishers, Simon & Schuster and Hachette, have agreed to allow libraries access to their catalog of eBooks.  This means that all six of the Big Six publishers (Hachette, Macmillan, Penguin, HarperCollins, Random House and Simon & Schuster) now allow libraries fair

 access to purchase their titles.  Previously libraries were limited to a very small number of titles from a small number of publishers.  This severely limited the selection of eBooks that we were able to provide to patrons.

The rules and practices of eBooks for libraries are byzantine and confusing. This article by Anthony W. Marx which appeared in the NY Times on May 1 does a wonderful job of explaining the confusion of the last few years. And while he applauds the publishers recent decisions for more fairness and equity he also, rightly so, calls them to task for their part in creating a very confusing landscape for libraries, library users and the publishers themselves.  

When should you, as an eBook user, see an expanded selection?  Very soon, with selection continuing to expand over the next year.  ELPL patrons have access to eBooks from two catalogs - Overdrive and 3M Cloud Library.  Having access to two eContent collections is important because only 3M has deals with all six of the Big Six.  All of our eBooks from both collections, as well as all our print books, DVDs, audiobooks and music are all listed in our online catalog.  It remains your best bet for browsing all that the library has to offer.  

Here are some easy links to get you started:

New 3M Cloud eBooks for May 

New Overdrive eBooks for May

New Overdrive eAudiobooks for May

Today Overdrive, the company that hosts the Woodlands Download Library, updated ELPL's Overdrive site to the next generation of Overdrive software. This means that the next time you visit the Woodlands site to browse for eBooks and eAudiobooks you will undoubtedly see some changes.

In addition to offering a cleaner more modern website Overdrive now offers Overdrive READ, a technology that allows you to read eBooks in a web browser (click here for a list of compatible browsers). 

Not all of the eBook content availble on Overdrive is compatible with Overdrve READ.  Here's an example of a search for Romance:

Notice that only half the titles are available in the Overdrive READ format. 

What does this mean for you?  Here are some tips to keep in mind when browsing for eBooks on the Overdrive site:

ELPL will be closed April 23 for system upgrades.  This means that for most of the day the following will be unavailable:

• Catalog
• Access to your library account
• Renewals and holds
• MelCat requesting
• Checking out and returning eBooks and eAudiobooks

eBook patrons take note, during the upgrades you will be able to read/listen to any eContent you have already checked out, only checkouts and returns will be blocked.

We hope to have everything back online by Tuesday evening.  We'll announce when the system is back online via elpl.org and social media.

Why are we upgrading our system?

This upgrade will bring our library's automation system up to the next generation of library systems.  We use this software for everything, including ordering and cataloging materials, checking items out, hosting our library catalog, and giving you online access to your library account. For now the changes are all on the back end -

Do you have your new eReader or tablet in hand? Good, now get reading! ELPL has thousands of eBooks ready for checkout from two eBook collections, Overdrive and ELPL’s Cloud Library from 3M. Here’s a quick guide to get you started, and places to call and email for help if you need it.

Kindle Fire users - To use Overdrive go to the Amazon appstore and download the free Overdrive app (search “Overdrive”).  To use the Cloud Library follow these instructions.

Android phone and tablet users - To use either Overdrive or the Clould Library visit the Google Play Store and download the free apps.  Search “Overdrive” and “3M Cloud Library”.

iOS users (includes iPhones, iPads (mini and regular), and iPods) - To use either Overdrive or the Cloud Library visit the Apple App Store and download the free apps.  Search “Overdrive” and “3M Cloud Library”.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land
eReaders and tablets were pent up with demand;
To checkout, for free, from the public library,
Romances, New Fiction, and SciFi that’s so scary;

Okay, I have to admit, that’s all we could come up with.  We’d have to drink way more egg nog to complete the poem.

But, whether you are receiving or giving a Nook Tablet tomorrow for Christmas, or already received your Kindle Fire for Hanukkah a few weeks ago, or you were given an iPad mini to celebrate Diwali in November, or you are giving someone a Google Nexus 7 tablet on Wednesday for Kwanzaa, rest assured that ELPL has thousands of eBooks ready for checkout from two eBook collections, Overdrive and ELPL’s Cloud Library from 3M. Here’s a quick guide to get you started, and places to call and email for help if you need it.

Kindle Fire users - To use Overdrive go to the Amazon appstore and download the free Overdrive app (search “Overdrive”).  To use the Cloud Library follow these instructions.

Android phone and tablet users - To use either Overdrive or the Clould Library visit the Google Play Store and download the free apps.  Search “Overdrive” and “3M Cloud Library”.

iOS users (includes iPhones, iPads (mini and regular), and iPods) - To use either Overdrive or the Cloud Library visit the Apple App Store and download the free apps.  Search “Overdrive” and “3M Cloud Library”.

Nook Tablet and Nook Color users - Visit the Nook Apps store and download the free apps.  Search “Overdrive” and “3M Cloud Library”.
If your device isn’t listed above check out the Overdrive and 3M lists of compatible devices.
You can use the apps to search for favorite titles and authors or you can find titles in the library catalog.  Just search as you normally do and then narrow your results by clicking the eBook link on the left side of the page (see screenshot at the end of the post).
If you need help check out Overdrive’s help page or 3M’s support page.  If you run into problems you can email us
and a library staff member will email you back on Wednesday when the library opens back up for business.  On Wednesday you can also call 517-351-2420 and choose the option for Technical Support.  Techies will be answering voicemail for that phone number for your eReader and tablet questions.  

We also have One on One Tech help appointments available.  Email
or call 517-351-2420, and choose the option for Technical Support, to reserve an appointment.

Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

 If you are worried that the rush to eBook is killing the printed word this book is for you.  Check out our copy of:

This is not the end of the book

A conversation between Umberto Eco and Jean-Claude Carrier.  Read along as they discuss our digital future.  

We're launching the ELPL Cloud Library today - a new eBook collection for East Lansing Patrons.  Be one of the first in the state to check it out with your iOS, Android, Kindle Fire or Nook device.

ELPL patrons can now have more eContent checked out and on hold at the same time.  Starting today total checkouts and holds for eBooks and eAudiobooks have been increased to the following:

8 checkouts at any time
10 holds at any time

We know that many of you have asked to be able to check out titles longer than 21 days.  We are listening and are working on making this happen.  Because our eBooks and eAudiobooks are part of a shared collection with other libraries as a group we have to agree on policy and rules. 

If you look at the list of top ten most requested titles here at ELPL you'll notice that number one on the list is a book by E.L. James called Fifty Shades of Grey.  As of this evening there are 33 holds on this title.  And as long as you haven't been living under a rock, you probably know that Fifty Shades of Grey is the first book in the Fifty Shades trilogy, and is in fact that book that everyone has been talking about.  Ellen.  Barbara.  Dr. Oz.   Maureen Dowd.   Your neighbors.  Your co-workers.  Your mother-in-law.  It is everywhere.  

So, really, why has this series of books so captured the attention of American women and subsequently, the national media and publishing industry?  Well, quite simply, because it is that kind of book.

The Fifty Shades books are at heart romance novels,  but the love scenes (and yes, there are a LOT of them) incorporate many components of BDSM relationships, bondage, and other activities that most traditional romance novels don't touch.  

Because of the subject matter there are, of course, many different opinions on whether or not these books are "good" for women, and whether or not they should be read by anyone at all.  There are some libraries out there that have decided not to purchase the book or discard the copies they already own, and then there are libraries like ELPL and CADL that can't keep up with demand.  And, of course, there are the millions of women, and men, that have read the books and loved them.

There is no lack of talking points when it comes to these books.  But do you know why these books are really fascinating to those of us who work in libraries?  The Fifty Shades series is remarkable because its popularity is exploding at a time when all the rules that govern the intersection between publishers, readers and libraries are fundamentally changing. Here's some points that Dr. Oz and Maureen Dowd don't mention at all, and that, if you are a person who values libraries, you should care about:

1.  Self publishing/online publishing/independent presses - The Fifty shades trilogy started out as Twilight fanfiction written as a hobby by E.L. James and posted online.  As she received feedback from other Twilight readers and continued to expand the plot James eventually pulled the stories from the fanfiction sites and officially published them as an eBook and print on demand paperback with The Writer's Coffee Shop, a virtual publisher in Australia.  Word of mouth spread sales far and wide and after the third book of the trilogy was released in January 2012 the series was so popular that it was picked up by Vintage Books.  James' explosive success is only one of the many examples of self-published works that have exploded on the web and are now changing and dominating the world of traditional publishing.  Another example is Wool by Hugh C. Howey which has been picked up by Century, a division of Random House.  The movie rights to Wool have also been sold to Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian who are teaming up with 20th Century Fox to bring the post-apoloptic tale to the big screen (the movie rights to Fifty Shades have also been purchased).  Libraries are often one of the players responsible for exposing readers to great stories from small presses and self-published authors.  The web makes this easier for us to do and means more great books, in any format, in the hands of readers.
 

Potter fans will be happy to hear that Harry's story will soon be available in eBook and eAudio format - for check out from the library!  All 7 books will be available for checkout March 29th, but you can place holds on the titles now.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

This is surely an exciting time for the publishing world, but unfortunately, excitement for some means panic and overreaction for others.  Here's what's been going on in the world of eBook publishing this week and how it affects your access to library ebooks.

ELPL's very popular TumbleBooks service, which allows users to read children's picture eBooks via the web, is now iPad compatible!  TumbleBooks is a flash based site and so iPad users were out of luck, but now, TumbleBooks offers iPad friendly versions of many of the popular titles on the site. 

That was fast!  Patrons are once again able to login to ELPL's eBook web catalog, place holds and download titles.  Happy downloading!