I love a trip to the public library and try to go a few times a month but I’ve also started borrowing library books from home and reading them on my iPad with the Amazon Kindle app. It’s totally free and very easy, so I thought I’d let you know about it.

This is especially handy for anyone too busy to make it to the library because of your work or family schedule, and those of you up north who might be preparing for the big storm and want to stock up on some reading materials. It’s also great if you are travelling for work or vacation and want to borrow a book on the go! All you need is a tablet, Kindle, PC, iPad, Smartphone or any other device using the free Kindle Reading App.

Public Library Books for Kindle and Other Devices

11,000+ libraries in the United States offer Public Library Books for Kindle, which allows you to check out eBooks through the website of your local library, and have them sent directly to your Kindle device or reading apps where they will be available for a specified period of time like a regular library book. Public Library Books for Kindle provide the same features as Kindle books, including Whispersync, which synchronizes notes, highlights, last page read, page numbers and more across your account.

Getting Started Using Public Library Books for Kindle

The first thing you need is a library card or account number. I hope everyone already has a library card! In addition to being able to borrow every type of book from best seller to dog training manuals to  cookbook, the public library is also a great source of free materials including, music CD’s, movies on DVD, kid’s books, career resources and FREE internet access when you need it. OK, assuming you have a library card, here’s what you need to get started:

Visit the OverDrive website at http://search.overdrive.com/ or the website of your local library to confirm whether your branch is eligible and carries eBooks.

[Read more…]