Tag: NY

Algonquin E-Book Sale for Fans of the Great Outdoors!

Linda Reimer

Summertime is the prefect time to read books about the great outdoors whether they are books about gardens, birds or simply books that focus on the flavors of nature! And in keeping with that natural theme Algonquin Books is offering gardeners, birders and lovers of the outdoors in general a super low price on seven of their prime e-book titles:

1. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey,

2) Settled in the Wind by Susan Hand Shetterley,

3) 100 Birds and How They Got Their Names by Diana Wells,

4) The Earth Moved by Amy Stewart,

5) From the Ground up by Amy Stewart,

6) Lives of the Trees by Diana Wells

7) The Writer in the Garden by Jane Garmey.

The e-books are on sale through the end of July and can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, Google and Indiebound.

Here’s a link to the Algonquin Books blog that offers an in-depth summary of each book:

http://www.algonquinbooksblog.com/blog/lucky-7-e-books-july/

And just a reminder the Southeast Steuben County Library will be closed on Wednesday in observance of the 4th of July. Regular hours resume Thursday, July 5th. 

Have a great 4th of July everyone!

Linda R. 

Chrome Browser Now Available for iPad & iPhone & Library E-Books: Part IV

Linda Reimer

Chrome Browser Now Available for iPad & iPhone: Google Chrome iPad & iPhone users rejoice! There is finally an app for that! You can now download the free Google Chrome Browser for your iPhone or iPad from the app store. So if you like Chrome and have been eagerly awaiting its introduction as an Apple’s app – now is the time to download it!

Library E-Books: Part IV: Today’s library e-book posting is going to focus on how you download free library e-books to Barnes & Noble’s Nooks.

And I’m going to jump right into this subject by repeating what I said earlier last week about DRM and also noting two things you need to have access to before you begin the get-free-library-e-books-on-a-Nook process.

1) DRM: DRM, also known as Digital Rights Management software, is the reason that the download process for library e-books contains so many steps; and in fact, more steps if you have a Nook than if you have a Kindle or tablet. DRM is a restrictive software built into e-books at the insistence of publishers as an anti-piracy tool. And basically DRM locks library e-books and you have to go through a process to unlock the library e-books before you can read them. And in the case of the STLS Digital Catalog the software you need to unlock the e-books is called Adobe Digital Editions.

2) Two Things You Have Need To Have Access To Before You Begin The Get Free Library E-Books On A Nook Process: You have to have your own computer and you have to have an Internet connection. If you’ve read all the postings last week about public library e-books you may wonder why you need your own PC to check library e-books out to a Nook – because you don’t need that if you own a Kindle. And the reason for that is because Amazon actually unlocks the DRM software on library e-books sent to Kindles – that occurs when you log into the Amazon website. With Nooks you have to unlock the e-books yourself and that is why you need to have your own Internet connected computer and also why you have to download the Adobe Digital Editions software.

So before you can begin the regular process of downloading free library e-books to a Nook – and that is the process you will use in the future – you have to go through a preparation process.

And the preparation process is to go to your Internet connected computer and:

1) Go to the library’s website found at: SSCLIBRARY.ORG

2) Click on the STLS Digital Catalog link  –  found at the right hand side of the page – about half way down the page (The Digital Catalog home page will display)

3) Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page until you see a box labeled “Digital Book Software.” And underneath that you should see a link that says “Adobe® Digital Editions For Adobe eBooks”

4) Click on the Adobe® Digital Editions For Adobe eBooks link and the Help – Software – Adobe eBooks page will display

5) Click on the Download Adobe Digital Editions link or icon and the download process will start – you’ll be re-directed to the Adobe Digital Editions site.

6) Follow the prompts until the download process and the create-Adobe-account process is complete.

7) The Adobe Digital Editions icon will then display on your desktop

Note: During the download process you will be required to create a free Adobe Digital Editions account and the Adobe Digital Editions software will download to your computer. If you find this a complex process please do feel free to call the library and make an appointment to sit down with a staff member who will assist you in setting up your Adobe Digital Editions account and in checking our your first library e-books and getting them onto your Nook

And once you’ve downloaded the Adobe Digital Editions software and registered a free Adobe Digital Editions account then the future process to check out library e-books to your Nook is:

1) Plug your Nook into your computer and it should appear as a plugged in e-reading device within the Adobe Digital Editions Window.

2) Open the Adobe Digital Editions software on your computer (the icon looks like a book and if you just downloaded the software it should already be open)

3) Open a web browser and go to the library’s website: SSCLIBRARY.ORG

4) Click on the STLS Digital Catalog link (this is the same link we used to get to the Digital Catalog home page before…) and the Digital Catalog will display

5) Look for a e-book you’d like to read (EPUB or PDF format – and EPUB is preferable)

6) Click the Add to Cart link and the My Cart page will display.

7) Click the Proceed to checkout link and the Sign in page will display

8) Sign in by selecting the Southern Tier Library System from the drop down box, entering your library card number in Library card number box, entering your PIN number in the PIN box (your PIN numbers is initially the last four digits of your telephone number) and clicking on the gray Sign in button; the Check Out page will display

9) Click on the Confirm check out button and the Download page will display

10) Click on the gray Download button (and depending upon which version of Windows you are using you may have to open downloaded e-book file via the status bar (likely with Windows 7) or the e-book may just open in the Adobe Digital Editions window; the Adobe Digital Editions window should open and the Reading view will display

11) Click on the Library View link – the icon appears as three books standing straight up and is found in the top left hand corner of the Adobe Digital Editions window (right under the name of the window – “Adobe Digital Editions;” the Library View will display

12) Move your cursor until it is right over the top of the e-book and then press down and hold your left mouse button down and move it leftward across the window until it is right over the top of your Nook (your Nook should be in the column at the left hand side of the page – the e-book will be transferred to your Nook with DRM software unlocked

13) Unplug your Nook

14) With most Nook models you will find the e-book in your documents folder – and you can then begin reading it!

As this is a long process –and the library has actually created a video to assist Nook users in obtaining library  e-books! And the video does show you step-by-step how to go through the preparation process by downloading the Adobe Digital Editions software and then it goes through the entire check out process – so please do check it out! The only little thing to note is that we have changed the title of the link to the Digital Catalog on our home page – it now says “STLS Digital Catalog” and in the video it is seen under the old title of “E-Books and Audio Books” – we updated the link when we added video and music formats to the catalog – so if  you just remember that one little thing that has been changed – the video will easily guide you through the process of checking out e-books to your Nook!

Here’s the link to the library’s Youtube page where you can access the video – it is in the section titled “How to videos from SSC Library” and is simply titled “How To Check Library E-Books Out To A Nook:”

http://www.youtube.com/user/SESTEUBENCOLIBRARY/videos?view=1

Linda R. 

Library E-Books Part II: A Bit About DRM & How to Download Free Library E-Books to a Kindle

Linda Reimer

A Bit About DRM: Before I jump into the subject of how you download free library e-books to a Kindle;  I have to point out that the process you use to download free library e-books to tablets, smartphones, e-readers, Macs and PCs is a bit different depending upon which device you are downloading library e-books to.

And you may wonder why that is – Why are there so many different ways to download library e-books?

And the answer to that is that the main reason is because of something called Digital Rights Management software. Digital Rights Management software, or DRM for short, is built into e-books by publishers. It is an anti-piracy tool and the intent is that it is supposed to make it hard or impossible for people to illegally copy and distribute e-books. However, the practical side of the equation for patrons of public libraries is that DRM makes it more difficult to download library e-books to e-reading devices than it is to buy e-books from an e-book seller. And the difference is because some how the DRM software has to be unlocked from the library e-book you’re downloading so you can read it – think of the book as being in jail and unlocking the DRM springs it so it can travel to your e-reader!

In contrast, if you buy an e-book from a bookseller, and assuming you already have done the prep work of setting up an account with the bookseller, than the download process is simple – you click a button that says “buy” and then enter a user ID (usually an email address) and your password and boom! The e-book downloads to your e-reading device in just a few seconds. It is literally that fast! And library e-books too download that fast – once you go through the process of unlocking the DRM software.

How to Download Free Library E-Books to a Kindle: And as far as DRM goes, Kindle owners have it easy! The download process for all Kindles, except the Kindle Fire and the first generation Kindle*1 is this:

  1. Go to the library’s website found at SSCLIBRARY.ORG
  1. Click on the link that says “STLS Digital Catalog” – it features white lettering in a green box and is located on the right hand side of the page about half way down the library’s home page – you may have to scroll down a little bit to see it…
  1. Search for an e-book  you’d like to read that has a Kindle version
  1. Click the Add to Cart link (and the My Cart page will display)
  1. Click the Proceed to Check Out link on the My Cart page (and the Sign in page will display)
  1. Select the Southern Tier Library System (instead of Penn Yan Public Library) from the drop down box in the Library field*2 (just click on the down arrow to the right of the word Library.)
  1. Enter your Library card number in the library card number field.
  1. Enter your PIN number in the PIN field (this is by default the last four digits of your telephone number)
  1. Click the Log In button on that same Sign in page (The Check Out page will display)
  1. Click on the Confirm Check Out button (on the Check Out page and the download page will display)
  1. And on the download page click on the Get for Kindle link – this will send you to the Amazon website to a page titled “Get Your Digital Library Loan” page; on the Download page click on the orange “Get library loan” link located on the right hand side of the page
  1. You will then be prompted to enter in your Amazon log in information (this is the email address and password that you use to purchase items from Amazon and/or buy e-books for your Kindle); the Please chose a device page will display and assuming you just have one Kindle registered to your account simply click on the continue button to send your library e-book to your Kindle
  1. Turn on your Kindle (And assuming you have a 3 G connecting Kindle or, if you have a Wi-Fi connecting Kindle, you are in range of a wireless (Wi-Fi) network – than your library e-book will almost instantly appear on your Kindle and you’ll be able to read it. If you have a Wi-Fi Kindle and aren’t in range of a wireless network – then the e-book will download the next time you take your Kindle somewhere where there is a wireless Internet connection – like our library! Come and visit us and you can download library e-books
  1. And read your e-book!

And if you read through that multi step process than you can see there are few more hoops to jump through, courtesy of publishers, to obtain library e-books – but the process to download Library e-books to Kindles doesn’t really require that many steps just a few more than if  you were to purchase an Amazon e-book.

*1. And Regarding the Kindle Fire and First Generation Kindle and the Kindle Fire:

The Kindle Fire: If you own a Kindle Fire than you are lucky! Currently the Kindle Fire is the only e-reading device that offers you the ability to check library e-books out to it – directly from the Digital Catalog! So all you have to do is turn on your Kindle Fire, be in range of a Wi-Fi network, go to the STLS Digital Catalog (the link is on the library’s homepage found at SSCLIBRARY.ORG), find a book you’d like to read and follow the log in process outlined above (follow steps 3-14) and the library e-book will appear on your carousel

The First Generation Kindle: The download process for the first generation Kindle, those are the ones from 2007, is a longer process that the 14 step process listed above. However, you can indeed download library e-books to a first generation! There is more pre-work involved but it can indeed be done. You have to have your own internet connected computer, download a piece of software called Adobe Digital Editions from our website and set up the software on your PC and then plug your first generation Nook into your PC before opening a web browser and going to the Digital Catalog, accessed through the library’s homepage, to look for a book to read. And the in essence what happens is that the e-book downloads to your computer and loads into the Adobe Digital Editions page where your first gen Kindle will be displayed as the e-reader you have plugged into your computer.

2. Field – when I say field you can insert the word box – field is computerese but I mean the box you can type in or select and option from…

And did I mention before that you can call the library and set up an appointment to go through the library e-book download process with a tech staff member? You can! Call us at 607-936-3713! You can even come in and check out the e-reading devices and tablets the library has for in-house use – just in case you’d like to window shop before you buy a e-reader or tablet.

And on a related e-reader subject very shortly, you’ll even be able to check out pre-loaded e-readers here at the library – and those are very simple to use because there is no download process – the e-books will already be on the e-readers!  And circulating e-readers will be coming in July so I’ll discuss that topic in more depth as soon as our pre-loaded e-readers are available to circulate.

And tomorrow I’ll discuss how you download library e-books to tablets and smartphones via the OverDrive app. And on Friday we’ll go over how you download library e-books to Nooks – so stay tuned!

And please feel free to visit our Youtube page and check out our How To Download Library e-books videos! Just remember the one little change in those very in-depth, step-by-step how to videos is that the E-Books and Audio Books link found on our homepage (that’s the one that you click on to access the Digital Catalog) is now called “STLS Digital Catalog” to illustrate the fact that the Digital Catalog now offers a handful of video and music titles to download as well as e-books and audio books.

Here’s the link to our Youtube page:

http://www.youtube.com/user/SESTEUBENCOLIBRARY/videos?view=1

Linda R.

Library E-Books Part I

Linda Reimer

Another big related e-reader question we field at SSCL and one that most public libraries field today – is “Do you have e-books in your collection?”

And that answer to that question is a resounding yes!

We have e-books in our collection that you can download to any PC or Mac and also to a variety of e-reading devices. So if you have a PC or Mac you can simply download the required e-reading software to your desktop or laptop and check out e-books that way!

And of course you can also check out library e-books, free of charge, to Apple, Android and Windows smart phones as well as to tablets like the iPad and Galaxy 2 S. And you can additionally check out library e-books to most dedicated e-readers including all of Amazon’s Kindles and all of Barnes & Noble’s Nooks.

If you have an Android, Windows or Apple tablet or smart phone then as the expression goes – there is an app for that! Most public libraries, including ours (The Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, NY) use the OverDrive platform to offer their patrons e-books and so the app is called OverDrive Media Console and the app artwork features a big thin O over a blue background – the app can be found in the Android Marketplace and Apple’s App Store.

And tomorrow I’ll talk about how you download free public library e-books to Kindles! (And on Thursday I’ll talk about how you download library e-books to Nooks…)

And if you really, really want to know how you download library e-books to your Kindle or Nook and don’t want to wait for my blog posting on the subject – check out the library’s YouTube Channel – here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/SESTEUBENCOLIBRARY/videos?view=1

The how to download library e-books videos are quite new and offer a step by step explanation of how you download library e-books to Kindles or Nooks. I will point out one little change though from what the videos say – to access our Digital Catalog you used to have to go to the library’s home page found at SSCLIBRARY.ORG and then click on the green E-Books & Audio Books link located on the right hand side of the page – that link description has been changed because we recently added downloadable videos (mostly for kids) and a handful of downloadable music to the Digital Catalog – so now that link features a green background and says in white lettering “STLS Digital Catalog” so if you simply remember that and follow the instructions in the videos then that too will guide you through the e-book download process.

If you have any questions about this blog posting let me know!

Linda R.

P.S. Here’s a direct link to the library’s Digital Catalog should you wish to book market it:

http://stls.lib.overdrive.com/3E699B37-8D82-45C1-98CB-4581E895D69E/10/536/en/Default.htm

And you may also want to check out the library’s Facebook page so here’s the link for that:

https://www.facebook.com/SoutheastSteubenCountyLibrary

And on a non-tech note Michelle Wells, our very creative head of Adult Services Director, has a great literary- storytelling-writing focused blog called Story Musing which is also a great blog to check out! And here’s the link for it:

http://storymusing.blogspot.com/