Public libraries have loaned e-books to patrons for more than 20 years, but many have expanded their online offerings with digital audiobooks, magazines, comics, videos and other services even before the pandemic helped shift collections online. If you’re curious about what your local library can lend from its digital shelves, but you’ve never gotten around to signing up for a free library card — or linking your existing card to an account — here’s how to get started.
Locate your library
If you’re not sure where to find your nearest library, search online or type your city name into the Library Finder website or the Find Libraries and Archives page on USA.gov. Once you’ve found a library, check its website for information about signing up for a library card and being able to borrow e-books and other materials. Links to “Digital Collections” or “Online Resources” or even “Get a Library Card” on the library home page will help you get started.
Libraries have different requirements for a card. Some may allow you to register completely online. others may want proof of your address from uploaded documents, phone numbers or geo-location data. and some libraries prefer that you sign up for a library card in person at the nearest branch.
If you don’t have a branch nearby, some city libraries allow anyone who lives in the state to sign up for a card, so check the residency requirements. The Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library, and Queens Public Library systems allow people who live, work, pay property taxes, or attend school in New York State to obtain a card. Statewide libraries exist beyond New York, such as the Free Library of Philadelphia, which is open to Pennsylvania residents, and the Houston Public Library, which serves most Texans.
Once you complete the registration process for a library card, you receive a username or number and a PIN or password to log in to the library website.
Download the app
Most libraries manage their electronic materials through applications such as Libby, SimplyE and cloudLibrary. Some use apps like PressReader, Hoopla or Kanopy to borrow digital magazines and videos. look on the library website for instructions on what items to borrow and the applications you need to borrow. Once you’ve installed the app, log in with your library username and password and start browsing for things to borrow. If you already have a library card, use your card number to log into the app.
As with borrowing physical items, you may have to wait if all copies of a particular book or audiobook have already been checked out by others. Loan periods will vary. You usually use your borrowed material in the library’s designated app, but you may also see an option to send a borrowed book to your Amazon Kindle.
Some apps allow you to add multiple libraries or multiple library cards to increase your borrowing options. Along with e-book lending tools, some institutions also have their own custom apps for reserving physical copies of books and DVDs, browsing research collections, and posting announcements about library events.
Browse beyond books
Apps make it easy to explore a library’s main collection from a mobile device, but you can often dive deeper into exhibitions from the institution’s full website. a larger screen can help here. Offerings will vary by library and may not all be digitized, but you may find maps, genealogy tools, research databases, digitized photos, high school yearbooks, and archived newspapers.
In some cases, you can save and print items from the digital collection. However, you may need to visit the physical library to use some resources, such as genealogical subscription services.
Many institutions also offer a Library of things for local cardholders to borrow — such as technology equipment, board games, tools and cookware. Check your library’s website for a list of services.
Nationwide Libraries
You can also browse digitized items from various national libraries. The Digital Collections page on the Library of Congress website is a good place to start for historic photos and other content.
The Internet Archive hosts millions of digital videos, recordings, images, books, and old software programs, and LibriVox hosts public domain audiobooks.
America’s Digital Public Library, a platform that brings together free libraries and archives across the country in one place, has a searchable database of more than 49 million texts, images, recordings and videos on its website.
While browsing collections online may not match the thrill for those who prefer to experience the library in person, digital libraries have their advantages — including the ability to stay open 24 hours a day for people who just don’t want to stop the exploration.
