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Remote library checkouts

Last summer, I took my girlfriend for a drive to Prince Edward Island, a tiny province about 2,000 kilometers away from where I live. Since we listen to audiobooks in the car, I loaded up on several CD-based books, including 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Unfortunately, those didn’t last the trip.

When we visited places that offer free WiFi access to the Internet (thanks BnBs, motels and Tim Hortons!) I browsed the Toronto Public Library website for audiobooks I could download to my iPod. I got several audiobooks, including a great legal drama called The Confession, over the air, from the Toronto Public Library, from PEI and other points east.

This service might not sound impressive to you, but I just love it. I grew up using card catalogs to find physical books and get to microfiche (a technology I hope never to have to use again!!!) whether I needed to research or just find books for pleasure reading.

The stuff I borrow (e-audiobooks AND ebooks) comes to me via the Toronto Public Library’s partnership from OverDrive and its free OverDrive Media Console app.

If you’re into books, audio or other, and you don’t feel like continually buying (and eventually discarding) them, visit your library and ask about what they offer. OverDrive serves many library systems, not just Toronto’s, and its large collection probably includes books that would interest you.

Check out OverDrive’s help video page. They’ve helpfully segmented the videos according to the type of device you can use with Overdrive.

1 Comment
  1. I agree, this service is fantastic. I use it a lot too–we are very fortunate to have Toronto Public Library.