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Community Corner

Local Libraries Provide E-book Access to Patrons

If Santa brings you a new e-reader this year, North Fork libraries can provide electronic access to thousands of e-books, music, and videos.

If an e-reader is at the top of your wish list this holiday season, your local North Fork library can help you save money and provide free electronic access to your favorite book, audio book, music, or video.

Directory Denise DiPaolo wants local library patrons to know that just because they want to enjoy reading via new technology, local libraries are still an important resource. Through Live-brary.com, all libraries in the Suffolk County Cooperative Library System have coordinated their e-book collections and North Fork residents have many titles available for immediate download. DiPaolo said there has been a recent surge in interest and the library system has responded by making many popular series available including the entire "Twilight" series, and novels by Dan Brown and Nelson DeMille.

"Every library patron on Shelter Island and the North Fork has access to the entire Suffolk County collection," DiPaolo said.

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To get started, log onto your library's website and click on the Live-brary.com logo. Log in using your library card number. If it is your first visit to the site, you will need to download the free software that is compatible either to your computer or to your mobile device. Once the download is complete, patrons can start enjoying thousands of books, audio books, music, and videos available.

There are similarities to checking out traditional media through the library and downloadable sources. Instead of owning the e-book forever, through the library, patrons can borrow the title for seven or 14 days. Up to five titles may be checked out at one time. If a title you are interested in is not available, you could be put on a wait list. DiPaolo said there are some additional advantages to using the library for e-books.

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"You don't ever have to return things. You're never fined and you're never overdue," she said.

Another advantage is unlimited access to Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg offers access to more than 33,000 classic titles where the copyright has expired. Everything from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" to Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" to the Bible is available through Project Gutenberg.

DiPaolo wants people who are new to the technology to understand how their local libraries can continue to serve them even as they move to digital technology. A local parent told Dipaolo that when her child stayed home from school and forgot her novel, the mother was able to download it through Live-brary.com.

"Use your library card, not your credit card," joked DiPaolo.

Poppy Johnson, assistant director atin Greenport, said it is hard to tell how many patrons are currently using the system, but the library received monthly statistics, and Johnson said she was pleasantly surprised at a recent uptick in users.

"We've had quite a number of people in the last week or so come in and ask us how to use it.  A lot of people also want to know what kinds of devices are compatible with the system," said Johnson.

Johnson said many more people are using the system this year, compared with last and said that Live-brary.com has other features including a language learning program, Mango, which attracts users as well.

The Live-brary.com format is compatible with most e-readers and mobile devices except for the Amazon Kindle. For additional information, call librarians at the Floyd Memorial Library, , Shelter Island Library, the , or .

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