Don’t forget your local library….

My wife and I download a lot of e-books from our local library for free, and read them on trips. Support your local library!

I love libraries but do not get to mine very often. When I do, I often just read or look over books while in the library.

Our somewhat new library does not have used books for sale. Our old one did.

But. have not been for many months and might give another look over. Maybe they have added "friends of the library"

I take my kindle with me on trips, with library downloaded books, but read regular books most often. Back in the day, I would buy 2-4 used paperbacks before a trip and leave them at a hotel or chambre d'hote or hostel when done with them. I would often pick up a used one from there to take with me to our next lodging. It was a pretty popular and common way of getting some reading done while on a trip. I wonder if that is still a thing? We are more upscale than we were in our 20s and 30's and 40's and don't often stay in places where books are an exchange item. I kind of miss the serendipitous nature of that type of travel, but the old bones now need a guaranteed comfortable bed and an elevator when needed.

As a librarian, I want to thank you to Carol now retired and every one else on this forum who support there library. It's been a tough road for libraries as of late and may just get tougher. At my library we provide a "Friends of the Library" book sale area in a foyer-and the proceeds from that book sale help the library provide programs, supplies, and other things that enable us to provide services to the community.

For the record, Libby is a great resource-and you'd be surprised at how many people automatically think Kindle is how you have read an ebook. Um, no. You can read through your Ipad and Iphone without even having to go to Amazon. Sorry, I digress-too many times having to explain how to get Libby and why Amazon is not the be all end all to ebooks.

Again thanks for support and that libraries are not to be discounted as a resource for travel.

Small town Michigan here. Our library also has a "Friends of the Library" which we support. They also sell excess books in the lobby, and two weeks ago, had their giant annual book sale (outdoors) which draws a big crowd. My wife is a member of AAUW, who have an annual used booksale with some 16,000 books or so.

As for Libby, yes it works great. We still use Overdrive on our Android phones (predecessor to Libby). We have an Amazon Fire tablet, with LIbby, and another app called eLibrary Manager. We prefer to download ebooks from our local library system for free. If ours does not have a book we want, we can also try about a dozen other Michigan libraries in the same library consortium.

Our library also has a little section ran by “friends of the library” where donated books are sold. I find some treasures there as well. Today I did quite a well. 2024 Rick Steves France for 50 cents in brand new condition. 8 other guidebooks as well, all for a total of $5.

I wish our local libraries did the sale throughout the year, but instead, they do a larger sale several times a year. That's great for them to focus on the sale with resources and space, but it does make it a "put it on your calendar" sort of thing where we can miss the sale if we are away.

Honestly, I still like buying the "latest" guidebooks from RS if only because it's both a small investment in our specific trip, but also is a chance to support the travel industry I use (vs the newer TikTok or influencer-driven newer model) & to have a resource to return to post-trip.

In general, though, we use the library a LOT for both travel planning and for reading material. A great benefit to us and our community.

For the record, Libby is a great resource

I love Libby and use it to read on my Tablet daily. I've become an ebook snob and rarely read a physical book, except guidebooks. I still enjoy the flexibility of thumbing through guidebooks and use my local public library for them.

I don’t know what I would do without Libby. I love that app and use it all the time. I download fiction and non-fiction ebooks (both EPUB and Kindle), guidebooks, audiobooks, magazines and even local newspapers.

I don’t know how many people look at their magazine offerings but they have so many. My libraries subscribe to The Week, Discover Britain, and many more. One of my libraries subscribes to the city newspaper, so I can read what's going on locally.

I even got the nurses who care for my grandson with special needs to start using it. I gave them access to my account and now they download dozens of audiobooks on his iPad and keep them handy for him to listen to. He is visually impaired and non-mobile so listening to the audiobooks is a nice way to keep him entertained during the day.

I did find out a few tips from a librarian who wrote an article about using it. When you’re done with a book, it’s best to return it to the library right away rather than just let it sit in your shelf until it expires. I think it affects how much the libraries pay for it, although I could be wrong about that. Plus I always return the books that have someone waiting for them as soon as I’m done. I know I like getting books as soon as possible so I figure others do as well. :-)

You might enjoy the fact that as you "exit through the gift shop" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's very popular, current "Sargent in Paris" exhibition, one of the books in a pile for sale is ... "Rick Steves Paris."

My library copy of RS Spain is on my shelf right now. I check out books and use both Libby and Hoopla for ebooks. I love my local branch and visit almost every week.

A big yes to Libby/Overdrive. I am also lucky enough to live in a city with its own large library system, but am close enough to visit branches of the county library (Los Angeles) which is huge, and Orange County (also very big). It's nice to be able to actually peruse the shelves at other libraries. When I can't find a physical book I often find the ebook in at least one of the library systems.

Just fyi...our library uses Kanopy for free access to TV, movies, etc., which I watch through my Roku system. (And I also return the books or ebooks as soon as I finish them, as Mardee does. The only ones I purchase through Amazon are some in a genre I like for a dollar or two.)

Another Libby/public library fan here! In addition to e-books via my county's library, I also pay $40/year for a library card from the neighboring county so I have access to their collection as well. I was trying to find an alternative to buying Kindle books from Amazon, and between both libraries I manage to read most of what I want to read.

My county's library used to have a decent selection of Rick Steves' guidebooks, both hard copies and e-books, but they were mostly pre-pandemic editions. They've removed all the e-books (except for, I think, Europe Through the Back Door) no doubt because they are outdated, but have not replaced them.

Just fyi...our library uses Kanopy for free access to TV, movies, etc., which I watch through my Roku system.

Judy, I do the same thing. I also use Hoopla, although I think Kanopy is more user friendly.

Kayla, I have access to 6 different libraries; 2 in Minnesota, 1 in Wisconsin, and 3 in Ohio (where I used to live). Many libraries will give library cards to residents of the same state, even if they don't live in that specific area. And some offer reciprocity to residents of neighboring states as well.

@Mardee, wow! That is a Libby lover's dream!
Georgia has a state-wide inter-library loan network called PINES, but neither of the counties in which I have a library card participates, unfortunately. I might have to see if any other GA county will let me pay for a card without having to go in person and show ID - I'd love to have access to more e-books.

Kayla, I found that some libraries allow you to get cards for ebooks only without appearing in person. So you might check that as well. In fact, I just did a bit of googling, and found PINES, but it does let you get a library card for ebooks by applying online. You just need a Georgia address: https://georgialibraries.org/your-library-card/

And don't forget to check if there's travel related programming! I work at a public library. Pre pandemic we did once a month Armchair Travels, and a staff member would present on a recent trip. In 2023 I started running a monthly travel discussion group. The powers that be cancelled me this summer even though I never got below four attendees. I maintain they didn't advertise it appropriately, and it should have run in the evening not morning. And I did a VR Travel program that was a lot of fun.

Our French Conversation Circle has also ended up at times being a bit of a travel discussion group.

Thanks Carol, what a great thread! And to those who mentioned Libby, I had sort of forgotten about it recently, will put the app back on my iPad.

Luckily we have great 'friends of the library' book sales, and I have quite a stash of DK & RS guides, just waiting to be RIPPED apart when I need a section for a trip!

Agree with all the digital library and Kindle posts. For each trip I tend to purchase one of Rick's books for Kindle and then use Hoopla, etc. for digital versions of other travel books to take with me. I find an hour two on the train to my next destination is a great opportunity to review what I have read and to ensure I have my game plan in place.

Carol now retired,
Thanks for this post! I need to be on the alert for our local library sale here.
Congratulations on snapping up some bargains at your local “Friends Of The Library” sale!

And thanks everyone for the reminder of ways to download/read books from the library.

This is a great reminder! I have Rick Steve's Europe through the back door book, but I'd love to see if my library has others.