Santa does it with downloads
Those of you who have asked Santa for new tech this Christmas might like to know about a new free e-books service from Warwickshire County Council.
E -books can be used on most computers, laptops and notebooks nowadays, as well as on special hand-held reader devices and some mobile phones.
Warwickshire Library & Information Service has just launched a 12-month e-books trial allowing members to choose from hundreds of fiction and non-fiction titles they can download for free - and keep for three weeks.
Andrew Button, Virtual Access Manager for Warwickshire Library & Information Service, said: “I know many people are hoping to get new IT gadgets for Christmas and our e-books service could help them make the most of techno-presents they receive. To access our free downloadable book trial, all you have to do is join the Warwickshire library service - in person or online - and that’s absolutely free, too.”
Andrew continued: “Santa knows many people are economising this year, so he was really pleased to hear about our free e-books trial. Of course downloads are not a replacement for real books. Santa said lots of local people have put those on their Christmas lists, too. But some, like him, will love the convenience of an instant access, 24-hour e-books service.”
Here’s what you need to know if you want to give e-books a go:
To access Warwickshire County Council’s free trial e-book service, first you will need a library card. Adults and children can join for free at any one of the county’s 34 libraries, or apply online at: warwickshire.gov.uk/libraries
The Warwickshire Libraries homepage (as above) has a link to the free e-book service.
E-books can be borrowed for up to three weeks with an automatic electronic recall at the end of the loan period.
Borrowers will have the option to renew online if they haven’t finished reading their e-book, as long as no-one else has reserved the title.E-book reservations, as well as loans, will be free during the 12-month trial.
E-book downloads will work on most modern computers using Windows XP or later operating systems - on imacs, some mobile phones, and electronic ‘reader’ devices. File formats are as follows: ePub and PDF for e-books and WMA, MP3 for audio e-books. Happy Christmas reading!