Prompt response eBooks and audiobooks

   When I thought about eBooks and audiobooks, I thought about what I like in a book and I checked out the selection at the Allen County Public Library.  I don't have any experience looking at eBooks, but I have read that they are getting more popular.  I really like to hold a book in my hand unless it is a really big book like Gone With the Wind.  When you check out an eBook or an audiobook, you don't have to go to the library which makes it very convenient.  I think if the reader can change the font it will help those who have a hard time seeing smaller print.  The large print books can be very bulky, so this is a great alternative.  By changing the spacing and the color of the text, it may also help the reader.  I have listened to books on tapes and really enjoyed them.  The narrator helps.  I have a audiobook by Steve Martin, Rosie O'Donnell and Michael J. Fox.  I would highly recommend Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox.
     Let's get back to what you can get at the Allen County Public Library.  This is my local library and I am sure your local library also many eBooks and audiobooks for the patrons to check out.  One thing that is unique to the Allen County Public Library is the fact that they have the one the largest collection of genealogy materials in the country.  They want to make it available to all so they joined archive.org with 149 other libraries in the United States and Canada to create an 80,000 lendable eBook library.  "Digital lending also offers wider access to one-of-a-kind or rare books on specific topics such as family histories- popular with genealogists.  This pooled collection will enable libraries like the Boston Public Library and the Allen County Public Library in Indiana to share their materials with genealogists around the country and the world." (Doctorow)  This is great for the library and those who need to do research who don't live in Allen County, Indiana.
     At the Allen County Public Library, we have a place to download eBooks and audiobooks called overdrive.  The number one downloaded eBook is Divergent.  It is probably because of the movie just released.  Other popular eBooks are The Book Thief, Gone Girl, Sycamore row, Allegient, Takedown Twenty and Insurgent.  Allegient and Insurgent come after Divergent and they are in the Veronica Roth's Series.  You can also download music on your mp3 and movies on your smart phone.  I read in the paper one time that more and more people borrow books this way, in fact it is up.  I great thing is that they never have to set their feet in the library.  This is great for people on the go or those who have a hard making it to the library because of work and family conflicts.  The Allen County Public Library has over 20,000 Fictional eBooks.  They have 6,813 nonfiction eBooks, 4,189 fictional audiobooks and 1,284 nonfictional audiobooks.  These are all on acpl.lib.overdrive.com/.  I am glad to see that they have Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin.  I have been meaning to read that book and others in the series.  I looked at a sample of the book and it is very readable.  One thing I don't like about eBooks and audiobooks is that they can't be renewed and I renew books all the time.  I don't have one of those devices for viewing the eBooks either except for the computer.  I get tired of looking at the computer screen for my studies now, so I am not sure if eBooks are for me right now, but is is a possibility in the future.

References:
     acpl.lib.overdrive.com/  

     Doctorow, Cory (Feb 23, 2011)  Archive.org and 150 libraries create 80,000 lendable ebook library, retrieved from:

http://boingboing.net/2011/02/23/archiveorg-and-150-l.html