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Category: e-books
APRIL 5, 2013
MCPL launching Digital Classics Book Club
See classic literature in a new light by getting some Tolkien on your tablet, some digital Dickens or a little Kafka on your Kindle, with the Marathon County Public Library’s new Digital Classics Book Club.
Each month, the group picks a new classic available free and without wait through the library’s Overdrive system here and here. Instead of a monthly gathering, members post their thoughts on MCPL’s Goodreads page (also free) as the pages turn. Need a hand getting started? Call or stop by the Wausau Headquarters' reference desk any time.
The club begins in May with "Babbitt," Sinclair Lewis' scathing critique of the American Dream, told through the eyes of his disillusioned protagonist, George F. Babbitt.
(Still prefer books in print? You're still welcome in the classics club, and we have other clubs at each MCPL location. Or, talk to us about starting your own!)
For more information, call 715-261-7234 or email bookclub@mcpl.us.
E-readers and tablets are among the most-wished-for gifts this holiday season. Don’t forget that your library card can connect these devices to thousands of free e-books and audio books thanks to Wisconsin’s Digital Library (a.k.a. “OverDrive”)!
Choosing which device will best suit your needs can be challenging, and while we can’t tell you which is “the best,” we can describe the different borrowing experiences for most devices and refer you to product review sources to help you reach a decision.
Finally, owners of NOOK Color, NOOK HD and NOOK Tablet are able to download e-books and audio books directly onto their e-readers using the free OverDrive Media Console app!
This app bypasses the need to first download these files onto a computer and upload them to an e-reader using a USB cord, making these e-readers an ideal stand-alone solutions for accessing library books on the go.
This app may be found by searching for "OverDrive Media Console" in the NOOK Store from these devices. Once it is installed, open the app and choose the "Get Books" option. Next, choose your library ("Marathon County Public Library" or "Wisconsin Public Library Consortium") and input your 14-digit library barcode number. When appropirate, the app will ask for your Adobe ID. (If you don't have one yet, you will be given the option to create one.) After that, you will be free to browse and download e-books and audiobooks as you please!
The OverDrive app also is available for accessing library materials on many Android and Apple iOS-based smart phones and tablets. For a complete list of compatible devices, visit www.overdrive.com/resources/drc.
To read more about using your library card to access e-books and audio books, visit www.mcpl.us/overdrive.
Tablets and laptops are available for in-house checkout for up to two hours. Tablets are only available at the Wausau library and include Apple’s iPad and Android-based devices. Laptops are all Windows 7 PCs.
E-readers are available for 14-day checkout and include NOOK from Barnes & Noble and Kindle from Amazon.com.
Change is good. We hear this mantra often, but is it really good? The late Carl Sagan would likely remind us that change is the only constant in the universe, so we might do well to accept change if we hope to keep our personal world balanced. On that note, we will be making some very healthy changes at the Marathon County Public Library this year, and we believe that those changes are going to help us to help you get the very best use from your libraries.
Many of you are migrating to smaller information devices such as notepads, Nooks, Kindles, and similar handheld units. Remember to make use of our Overdrive digital download service that allows one to download e-books, audio books, videos, and music to your device. (www.mcpl.us/overdrive)
For those who have not yet tried this technology, we now have several different types of tablets available for in-house checkout at our Wausau Headquarters, as well as e-readers you can take home from all nine MCPL locations. Call, email, or stop by, and let us show you! (www.mcpl.us/devices)
Did you receive a new E-Reader this holiday season? Don't forget about the thousands of free e-books available from the Library!
Not sure how to get started? Visit www.mcpl.us/overdrive for step-by-step instructions, or make an appointment for a free help session with a Library staff member! Walk-ins are especially encouraged at our Wausau Headquarters, Reference Desk (2nd floor), Monday-Thursday, 1:00-4:00 PM, and Monday-Tuesday, 4:30-5:30 PM. For other times and locations, please contact us ahead of time. (See below for what to bring.)
We can also provide limited assistance via phone or email.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Coming to the Library for E-Reader Assistance?
Kindle -- Bring your Kindle and its included charging cord. Establishing an account with Amazon.com beforehand is helpful, but not required.
Nook (...and most other e-readers) -- Bring your Nook (or other e-reader), its included charging cord, and your laptop (if you have one.) We cannot fully demonstrate the process using your device with library computers, but we can show you approximately what you will need to do at home.
Smartphones / Mobile Devices -- Bring your device. Downloading and installing the OverDrive Media Console from your device's App Store is helpful, but not required.
Kindle-users, your wait is finally over! Now, you can check out Library e-books and view them on your Kindle, thanks to a partnership between Amazon (maker of the Kindle) and OverDrive (provider of e-books for libraries).
Previously, library e-books were available to most other e-readers and mobile devices, but not the Kindle. For a list of OverDrive-compatible devices, click here.
To get started, visit our OverDrive launch page at www.mcpl.us/catalogs/overdrive, but first, you may want to watch the video attached to this message for a brief overview of the process.
In early October, nearly four-hundred new items were added to the Overdrive collection, including many new and popular titles in ebook and audiobook formats, perfect for your e-reader, mp3 player, or other mobile devices!
Plus! Over 15,000 “Public Domain” Ebooks—classic or older works no longer copyrighted—are now available, thanks to Project Gutenberg! Visit the link above and click “Public Domain Ebooks.” For these ebooks, no login is required, and there are no borrowing limits!
Looking for free electronic books but unsure of what library online resource you can use?
NetLibrary is a collection of e-books that you can read on your computer after you have established an account. Set up your NetLibrary account on one of the computers at the headquarters library in Wausau or at any of the 8 branch libraries. Then you will be able to login and read NetLibrary ebooks from any computer with Internet access. E-books from NetLibrary can only be viewed on your computer. These electronic books cannot be downloaded to an e-book reader or any other portable device.
OverDrive is a collection of e-books, music, audiobooks, and videos that you can download for free to your computer or portable device. The electronic books available from this online resources are available as Adobe PDF files that you can download and read on your computer or as EPUB format files that you can download to your Sony e-book reader. Materials check out for two weeks. You do not need to set up a separate account to use OverDrive. Your valid library card is all you need to “check-out” and download items from OverDrive.
Both of these resources are funded by public libraries and library systems who are members of the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium. They are free for you to enjoy.
Finally, owners of NOOK Color, NOOK HD and NOOK Tablet are able to download e-books and audio books directly onto their e-readers using the free 
...are available for checkout at your local MCPL!
Did you receive a new E-Reader this holiday season?
Kindle-users, your wait is finally over!
MCPL is proud to announce: OverDrive's app for iPhone® & Android™ now supports eBooks.
In early October, nearly four-hundred new items were added to the Overdrive collection, including many new and popular titles in ebook and audiobook formats, perfect for your e-reader, mp3 player, or other mobile devices!
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