Patrons of the Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library are able to click on the OverDrive link from the library’s home page at www.stockton.lib.ca.us and browse a digital media collection of books. When a title entices viewers, he or she can use their valid library card to check out and download reading or audio material to their computer or to many common mobile devices. Titles will automatically expire from the device at the end of the lending period, avoiding the possibility of accruing any late fines.
The service is available to all customers of Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library customers who have a valid library card in good standing. The service can be accessed at the library’s website at www.stockton.lib.ca.us.
April Petersen is caught in the middle of a culture shift.
On Tuesday, she was accompanied by her nine-year-old daughter Elise to the Manteca Library to return a massive stack of children’s picture books – hoping to find others that she could take home that same day.
At home, however, her husband is already using an Amazon Kindle app on his smartphone to read books, and Petersen admitted that she could see herself making the switch to a digital book reader to replace whatever it is that’s on her nightstand.
In the end, it’s a win-win for the Manteca Library, who two months ago launched an eBook and audiobook lending program to help capture a wide and diverse audience that have strayed from the paper pages and gravitated towards something that’s convenient, portable and after the initial investment, relatively cheap.
But the people that pushed for the service – which allows for eBooks to be “loaned” for a three-week period before they need to be renewed – might not be the generation that most people would expect.
“A lot of the people that asked for this were adults and seniors – especially the seniors who like the fact that you can adjust the font size to make reading easier,” said library assistant Ruthanne Bassett. “It’s something that we believe is going to grow and become popular with a lot of people that use these devices.”
By bringing the OverDrive book lending service to patrons, Bassett said, the library is able to expand their current catalog without actually having to physically shelve books – saving space in crowded libraries like Manteca’s and giving users a variety of titles to choose from.
And just about any major modern smart device is capable of connecting to and utilizing the service – from Nook and Kindle readers to Android-based smartphones and tablets to iPhones and iPads.
Making reading portable – putting as many books as one would want onto a device that could fit in your pocket – is exactly what drew Chuck Howell to the concept and, he says, what will make him an avid user of the new lending system.
“I’ve been paying for books so that I can have the option to read them at my convenience – whether that was waiting at the doctor’s office or waiting for a movie to start. They’re there and they’re portable,” he said. “Now there’s a service where all you need is a library card to be able to access them? Sign me up.”
Those wishing to take advantage of the library’s new program can do so by having their library card handy and visiting www.stockton.lib.ca.us. Clicking on the OverDrive link will then start the signup process and notify users of any software downloads that might be needed.
The library and the bookdrop will be closed from Dec. 21 through Jan. 2 – except for special holiday hours at the Manteca, Ripon, Tracy and Mountain House branches. Those sites will be open from Dec. 27 through Dec. 30 from noon to 4 p.m.
