Library's E-Book Catalogue Grows, Now Supports Kindle E-Reader

A free online catalogue of e-books for library patrons is now open to Kindle e-reader owners, according to Riverhead Free Library officials.

The county-wide service, called "Live-brary," lets library patrons "check out" electronic copies of books and audiobooks from a collection of new novels and classics. After downloading a copy of the book onto the device, the user then has from seven to 14 days to "return" the e-book by deleting it.

Kindle owners now join those of the Barnes and Nobles Nook, the Sony Reader, the Kobo, the iPad and the iPhone and many other devices that have previously been supported by the online library.

Library Director Lisa Jacobs said the service has grown in popularity, nearly doubling its users since it was rebranded and rereleased this past year. Now that Live-brary offers Kindle support, she said the service is being used even more.

"Statistics really shot through the roof once Kindle came on board," she said.

Live-brary also has online courses for adult education, and live homework tutoring from 2 to 11 p.m. for students, Jacobs said.

"A lot of the books on reading lists for students are available too," Jacobs said.

The program is now available for most mobile and e-reader platforms. Amazon, who own Kindle, were among the last holdouts, Jacobs said.

Jacobs said she uses it herself, most recently during a trip to Barcelona. While in Spain, she used a mobile app to "check out" and "return" digital copies of the books.

"Yes," she said, "there is an app for that."

For more information about "Live-brary," see the program's website or call the Riverhead Free Library.