Susan Ayers
A recent article outlined the digital offerings of the Pinal County Library system. We are fortunate to have access to the Pima County Library system as well. They have a similar range of offerings (full range of eBooks, magazines, media, databases, etc.) but the process to access them is slightly different. Since it’s not cost effective for our SaddleBrooke Libraries to contract with an eBooks provider, we hope these two articles will help you explore other options that are available at no cost.
Getting Started
To get started, you will need a regular library card which must be applied for in person and requires a photo ID. This is issued immediately and you need to input a PIN. Then your account is established.
The nearest branch of the Pima County Library is in Catalina at 15631 N. Oracle Road. They are open every day except Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and until at least 5:00 p.m. The phone number is 594-5240.
Go to the website at library.pima.gov and sign in to your account. Click on e-library and go to the bottom of the page and click on e-library help.
Downloading the Appropriate Digital Application
To summarize, there are two eBook services available; OverDrive and OneClickDigital. The e-library help section has Digital Medial FAQs that help describe the differences between these services, which eReaders they are compatible with and how to access them; they are both free.
Once you figure out which service you are going to use, you can start searching for materials. There are many ways to structure searches; you can search only for items that are currently available or by genre, author, title, etc. You can click on an item and preview the first few pages of the book. In short, if you are a book lover you can spend hours at your computer doing this!
Other Information
Publishers require libraries to circulate eBooks just like physical books. That means only one reader at a time for each eBook. Readers are encouraged to return their eBooks as soon as they are finished reading. This enables the next reader on the Hold list to get the eBook faster.
The FAQ section has detailed instructions on how to return eBooks, as it is not as simple as it might seem but doing so is appreciated as many have waiting lists.