Public library launches new system

The Adair County Public Library will be adopting a new, more accessible online book system in addition to its physical collection.

The library will launch the  OverDrive system, a program for downloadable eBooks and audiobooks, on Oct. 18. The system will contain approximately 550 titles.

 The OverDrive system will be free of charge to library patrons, said Kara Drury, administrative assistant for the library. OverDrive can be used from home by downloading two programs - one for audiobooks and one for eBooks - and then signing in through a website.

"We were finally able to get this program because we are in consortium with ten other rural libraries," Drury said.  "I believe our costs were about $3,000 this year, and that is start-up fees and purchasing book titles."

Each book title costs between $20 and $25, and the money comes out of the library book budget, which is composed of taxpayer money and state funds, Drury said.

"You will just need your library book code, no user name or password," Drury said. "Then you can browse the website, check out and download the files online."

Patrons can check out five books at a time and place five holds on books at a time, Drury said. The checkout periods are either seven or 14 days, based on patron preference.

Audiobooks and eBooks downloaded through the OverDrive system are compatible with nearly all types of smart devices: the Nook, the Barnes & Noble Reader, all Apple products and smart phones, Drury said. The Amazon Kindle is the only product not compatible.

Each title purchased by the library can only be checked out and downloaded by one person at a time, Drury said. If a title is greatly demanded and has constant holds on it, the library will look toward purchasing another title license.

Becoming a patron of the Adair County Public Library is free of charge to Truman students and Adair County residents. To obtain a library card, Truman students must go to the library and produce their student ID, driver's license and  proof of address, Drury said.

"We have a lot of the new books that Pickler [Memorial Library] doesn't," Drury said. "All of our resources are free to use, and we are really trying to make things more accessible from home, just as I think all libraries are."

Pickler Memorial Library has no online option for audiobooks, but the physical copies in the library are very popular with students who have to drive home during breaks, said Stephen Wynn,  head of technical services and interim co-director of the library.

"We do have options with eBooks," Wynn said. "We subscribe to Safari Books Online, and the majority are computer manuals."

Wynn said Pickler has approximately 2,500 titles, all in PDF format, downloadable to any computer and listed in the library catalog.

Wynn said the staff at Pickler also provides links to books online - occasionally to books available in full text through Google Books but mostly to government documents.

"The library had a report a few years ago regarding an eBook program, but it just wasn't the right time," said Janet Romine, co-director and head of public services at Pickler Memorial Library. "We have been thinking about reinstating the committee because we want to be able to offer more online books, but we also have to keep the budget crisis in mind."

The funding for this program would likely come out of the same database line of the Library Acquisition budget that Safari is being funded from, she said.

"We know that students prefer online journals to print, so we expect the same from eBooks," Wynn said. "If we were to pick the right package, we expect it would be well-used. We are simply waiting for the right package and right service to come along."