Toaster Tuesday (004) with a touch of Library Post...

September 20, 2011 at 10:38 PM (Libraries, Toaster Tuesday) (ebooks, libraries, nook, prices, Toaster Tuesday)

Toaster Tuesday is a series of posts about e-readers, specifically my experiences as a new Nook owner.  The concept was partially inspired by a show called Battlestar Galactica.  Basically the antagonists in the story are the Cylons, who are robots.  The humans like to call them Toasters.  I figured since there is a dichotomy between organic and electronic in the book world as well, I’d play with the idea and (affectionately) refer to my Nook as a Toaster.  (Her real name is Ariadne, though, thank you very much.)

Me hanging with Walt Whitman at Panera Bread. Yum yum!

Back when I used to hate on ereaders, one of the arguments that kept me from purchasing one was price.  Not of the ereader itself, but of the files I’d be downloading and reading.  I felt that for the price of a physical book–all that paper, the text on it, the actual story–whenever I found deals, the books were worth the money.  Compared to some of the prices I’ve seen for ebooks (more than $10 for an ebook!!), I was really skeptical about paying the same or more for a few megabytes of data.  That I would never physically hold.

I still turn my nose up at higher end ebooks (unless I’m desperate).  I often go for the ones that are free or only a few dollars.  But the gold mine of ebooks wasn’t just those classics free from Project Gutenberg.  It was in my local libraries.  You see, a lot of libraries have been keeping up with the times as best they can.  This doesn’t just include computer upgrades, it also extends to their collections.

The Long Beach Public Library, Los Angeles Public Library, Orange County Public Library, and County of Los Angeles Public Library all have ebook collections that can be accessed online.  (Yes, I’m a patron of all those libraries. )  Now, their selections vary and they don’t have as many ebooks as physical books available, but there’s still a good chance of finding something to read.  If you’re wary about ebook prices but are still interested in an ereader, check out the local libraries and see if they offer an ebook collection.  Usually the ebooks can be “borrowed” for two weeks.  If your time runs out and no one else is waiting for it, you can “borrow” the ebook again.  It’s quite simple.  The files can be downloaded to your computer, then uploaded to your device.  That’s how it works with my Nook, anyway.

You’re probably wondering when I’m going to talk about all of those ebooks I get from LibraryThing, or the other ebooks I’ve received for review.  Well, I’m saving that for another post. 

The other way to read ebooks not readily available at the library or for free from the Barnes & Noble e-store is to simply go to your local Barnes & Noble.  You get an hour of free reading on your Nook everyday in-store.  If you’re a fast reader (unlike me) it’s a great deal for you.  Even if you’re not fast, sometimes you can read more than the often short ebook samples allow in a day’s hour.  It’s not as convenient, sure, but for free, it’s a pretty good deal.

There’s also a lending feature on the Nook that I’d like to talk about, but I don’t actually know enough to write about it yet.  But I will someday!

Now you see why this post had a touch of library post in it.  What can I say, I love libraries AND I love my Nook!  I get ecstatic when I can combine my affections for the two!

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