this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2023
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Not sure if your device supports connection to your public library, but I have been reading literally hundreds of books since Covid on my iPhone using Libby at first, and now the Palace Project. I still purchase the odd book if it’s one I know I will read repeatedly but I haven’t bought an ebook in some time due to using the library.
Good list, btw. I loved the Arkady Martine books. You might want to try Gideon the Ninth and the sequels.
Can you tell me more about those two options? What's the difference between them, and why did you switch? Is it easy to find and borrow recent books, or is there a waiting list?
Not OP but I have both Libby and Cloud Library because I have library cards for 2 different libraries. I default to Libby but if they don't have the book I'm looking for I check Cloud Library. Both are really easy to use though. There's usually a wait-list for new/popular books, but sometimes your library will acquire additional digital copies. It'll tell you your expected wait time and how many people are in front of you.
Sounds worth checking into. Not really anything to lose, right?
Absolutely worth checking into IMO. If your e-reader device does support library connections, so much the better, but if not, your phone/tablet will.
In addition to e-books, your library also likely offers access to other services including streaming. I have access to Kanopy, which has an interesting catalog of movies and shows that is well outside the mainstream. I've found some interesting stuff on there to consume even though I don't use it as often as Netflix/Apple/etc.
Regarding Libby and the Palace Project, I used Libby for some time but shifted to Palace after reading (here, here) about the e-book lending market space and how ripe for enshittification it is at present. (Overdrive, the company behind the app of the same name and the Libby app, was recently sold to private equity firm K.K.R., notorious for horrible business practices. Overdrive controls about 90% of the library lending market, so I'm a little fearful for what might come.) The Palace Project is a non-profit, so I'm supporting it as a competing platform in case Overdrive starts to tank. The Libby app is more polished, but the search, borrowing and reading experience on Palace is largely comparable and still just fine.
Thank you, I appreciate the thoughtful response. I'll check into it.