We all understand the basic concept of a library – go along, choose a book and take it away to read for up to 3 weeks or so. This was expanded some years ago by the introduction of audio cassettes and then CDs as music or audiobook items to borrow. It is also possible to
visit the library, choose a magazine or daily newspaper from their “to read in the library” selection and while away a couple of hours.
In recent years this has been updated to let us (the public) “borrow” items from the library selection and more from home. This is via various electronic services introduced by the libraries round the world to give access to newspapers and magazines from around the world in multiple languages, audiobooks and eBooks (such as Kindle or Nook items).
I knew about the audiobooks some years ago but when Covid came along I stumbled on the collection of newspapers and magazines etc. available online – this was a HUGE bonus through Covid lockdown. So, how does someone get into this treasure trove? I will try to show you in this short article.
The local Warwickshire Libraries have 2 “tools” to view and choose their stock of items. In simple terms these are:
PressReader for newspapers and magazines
Borrowbox for eBooks and audiobooks
What do I need?
- Be a member of a local library with a membership number – in my case this is an 8- digit number e.g. 12345678. If you do not have membership or have lost the information either visit or ring the local library for help.
- For newspapers and magazines (using PressReader), I believe almost any computer or tablet will do the job. It is even possible on a Smartphone, but this is a bit too small to be useful.
- It is possible to listen to audiobooks (from Borrowbox) on a computer or tablet. I usually download the items to my computer and “move” them on to either my smartphone or a small (and it can be cheap) MP3 player
- For eBooks (from Borrowbox), it is necessary to have a piece of software on a computer called “Adobe Digital Editions”. This manages the eBook download and the transfer to the device of your choosing such as an Amazon Kindle. There is a heap of help for the tools mentioned above on these web pages:
Borrowbox - https://warwickshire.borrowbox.com/help
PressReader - https://care.pressreader.com/hc/en-us
Rather than reproduce the words on these websites (which I could do here, but which seems a waste of time) I would encourage you to have a look at the two sites above. I have found PressReader to be simple to use because once signed in, it is a matter of browsing, choosing and opening the publications. Borrowbox is a bit more complicated because of the downloading and transferring to other devices – but it can all be done using a single computer if the transfers are too much to cope with.
I am willing to help with first usages of these facilities but cannot promise to provide ongoing support. The library staff (find the right numbers / emails on the websites) are very good and willing to help anyone who is struggling.
Frank Sturzaker
01926 775409 / 07966 913699
In addition, if you (or your friends) can’t get to the library (and back!) with your books, there are two services that may help:
- The Mobile Library service – see https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/mobilelibraries for more information and to find out where your nearest stop is.
- The Home Delivery Service – see https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/homelibraryservice where the lovely Alison will explain it all to you, but in a nutshell, books are delivered to and collected from your home every four weeks, with no fines and you can choose as many books as you
like. When you join, you specify what genres of books and authors you like, as well as your chosen media (small print, large print, paperback, hardback, memory stick or CDs). You can have any mix of these, although the memory stick contains up to about eight books, which may be enough on its own.
If you do enrol with either of these services, please mention that you heard of them via Warwick District u3a.
Sam Sexton