Free eBooks, Audiobooks and Magazines
Spring 2017
I put this list together to give you a jump start on leisure reading this summer. Please know that I'm happy to walk you through the process--just ask!
Always free and easy to access ebooks
Project Gutenberg: This ambitious website, started in 1971 (yes, the Internet is really that old) by Michael Hart, aims to have a digital copy of every book that is no longer subject to copyright laws (published before 1923). This is a great resource for classic books in plain text, HTML, PDF, EPUB, and MOBI formats; it also has a separate mobile site.
Open Library: This library is open to anyone! It was created by the good folks who run the Internet Archive. Many of their books are really links to Project Gutenberg, but they have links to some books not already held by that resource. In their own words:
At its heart, Open Library is a catalog. The project began in November 2007 and has been inhaling catalog records from some of the biggest libraries in the world ever since. We have well over 20 million edition records online, provide access to 1.7 million scanned versions of books, and link to external sources like WorldCat and Amazon when we can.
Subscriptions you should be able to access with a library card
eLibraryNJ: This library of eBooks and downloadable audiobooks for adults, teens and youth is provided by the third party vendor Overdrive for a consortium of libraries in New Jersey, including the Ocean County Library. It will take several steps to get you up and running with this resource, especially if you are using a Kindle. Please remember that Amazon makes this tricky intentionally, in the hopes that you give up and just buy the ebook. You can download the Overdrive app to a mobile device.
Monmouth County subscribes directly to Overdrive: https://monmouth.overdrive.com/
Burlington County also subscribes directly to Overdrive: https://burlington.overdrive.com/
Hoopla: This easy to use library of ebooks, ecomics and downloadable audiobooks for adults and teens is a third party vendor subscribed to by the Ocean County Library. You can download the Hoopla app for your mobile device. Please note, Hoopla won’t work if you have an older Apple device which Apple stopped updating at iOS 9.3.5. If you've been using Hoopla on an older device and it works just fine, it will keep working as long as you don't update the Hoopla app.
Cloud Library: The Ocean County Library purchases adult, teen and children’s ebooks directly from the third party vendor 3M (yes, the same company that makes all sorts of useful products), instead of subscribing to a pool of books. This means that you can access and download the ebooks directly from the Ocean County Library’s catalog (http://pac.theoceancountylibrary.org/polaris/), HOWEVER, it is much easier to download the Cloud Library app to your mobile device and then browse for books within that app.
Magazines
Zinio for Libraries: Read your favorite magazines right on your mobile device or computer:
Monmouth County: https://www.rbdigital.com/monmouthcountynj/service/zinio
Just for children
Tumblebooks: This third party vendor provides interactive children’s books to
Ocean County Library subscribers: http://asp.tumblebooks.com/LoginbyID.aspx?U=oceancolib&P=libra
Monmouth County Library subscribers:
http://asp.tumblebooks.com/LoginbyLCID.aspx?UserID=bVc%2f3ptNzzA5zdzoyZ20wQ%3d%3d
Some frequently asked questions:
- If these books are electronic, why aren’t there unlimited copies available?
Three words: Digital Rights Management; the idea of libraries loaning electronic copies of books is very threatening to publishers’ business model. Capping the number of books available for loan ensures that the publishers can still make money.
2. I can find free electronic textbooks, right?
No. Up to date textbooks are very expensive and public libraries generally don’t carry either print or electronic textbooks. You can ask your college library if you can borrow print textbook from their collection or via interlibrary loan.
