Listen up! BorrowBox eAudiobooks and eBooks are launching at Eastern Regional Libraries.

The most popular Australian and international eAudiobooks and eBooks are now available to our members through the BorrowBox library app. With the BorrowBox library app, you can browse, borrow and download bestselling titles by your favourite authors from the comfort of your living room or wherever you go.

Members can borrow 5 eAudiobooks and 5 eBooks at the same time for 3 weeks. If you run out of time you can renew the item as long as someone else hasn't requested it.

You can find the Apple app in the Apple Store and the Android app in the Google Play Store.

There are 600 eAudiobooks to choose from, including titles by Di Morrisey, Matthew Reilly, Peter Corris, Rosie Thomas and Andy Griffiths. With the eBooks there are 966 titles by authors such as Hilary Mantel, Veronica Roth, Jeffrey Archer and Michael Connelly.

If you can't find what you are looking for in our BorrowBox eLibrary make sure that you check out our Overdrive eLibrary -
also available to all members for free.

Happy eListening and eReading,

Paul.

Tips for searching the eLibrary

We have just added the 27,000th title to the eLibrary which means that it's collection is now as large as those of our medium-sized branches such as Belgrave, Boronia and Ferntree Gully. It is sometimes a bit hard to find what you want to read when presented with such a large number of items to choose from so I thought it would be useful to give you a couple of strategies that may help.

1. If you want to see what has been recently added to the collection you can click on Advanced Search select the period you want to view from the drop down menu next to 'Added to site' and then click the blue 'Search' box.

2. If you are looking for books by a particular author or title you will get more accurate results by putting your search term in quotation marks.

3. If you find that you enjoy books on a certain topic or genre it is sometimes easier to find similar books by searching the eLibrary for books released by a particular publisher. Again you do this by going to  Advanced Search and then choosing the publisher from the drop down menu in the 'All publishers' box.

For instance if you are looking for Gay and Lesbian romances the publisher called Dreamspinner Press specialises in this genre.

For history books try a search on the publishers The History Press or Pen and Sword.

Happy eReading, Paul.

New 'Kid Zone' website provides a kid-friendly eLibrary experience

We have just added a new version of the eLibrary to our webpage which is directed just at kids. The main eLibrary collection, http://erl.lib.overdrive.com, now has a separate site that will provide a safe and easy browsing experience for kids. You can access the new site at the following address, http://erl.lib.overdrive.com/Kids or by clicking on the main site and then clicking on the 'for Kids eReading Room' button.

Just as the kid's section of the physical library is separate from the adult collection, the same experience is now available in the eLibrary collection. There are over 2,000 age-appropriate eBooks and eAudiobooks available in the 'Kid Zone'. Browsing can be done by subject, reading level or interest level. 

The 'Kid Zone' site filters the overall eLibrary collection to just show content for children which means that they get to the titles that they want faster. As ever this service if free to any member with a current library card. eLibrary titles are available anytime, anywhere and expire automatically after three weeks so there is no need to worry about late fees.

Happy eReading!

 

Getting started with the new Overdrive Next Generation eLibrary

Have you logged into Overdrive eLibrary and noticed a change? This video created by Overdrive will guide you through the changes:


More information can be found at Your Library - Next Generation

There is an identified issue with Internet Explorer. The Next Generation platform works well in all standard and mobile browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. The website makes use of web technologies such as HTML5 and CSS3 that are not supported by some versions of Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer 7 users will be automatically prompted to install the Google Chrome Frame Plug-in for general site use. Users may switch to another browser such as Firefox, Chrome or Safari.

cheers, webgurl

The heat is on...

Hi all,

as that great philosopher Glenn Frey once mused 'The Heat is On', and now that I have that aural worm implanted in your heads I will get to the gist of this post which is to remind you that you can enjoy all of the benefits of the eLibrary from the air-conditioned comfort of your own homes. There are over 15,000 eBooks and eAudiobooks available for you to download to your PC, tablet, eReader or smart phone via the Overdrive page of our eLibrary. The latest notable authors to appear in the eLibrary are Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher stories, and Kate Morton, the Australian author of the latest bestseller 'The Secret Keeper'.

You are also able to download and keep copies of over 200 popular Australian, American and British eMagazines via the Zinio page of the eLibrary. The biggest hits with our members so far are 'Better Homes and Gardens', 'Australian Home Beautiful' and 'New Scientist'. It is a bit fiddly to set up the service and I thoroughly recommend that you read the User Guide that will help you through the process of registering an account but the benefits far outweigh the temporary inconvenience..... the quality of the graphics from 'National Geographic' is brilliant on the new iPads.

Happy eReading, Paul.

PS: Don't forget that there are a whole host of other Online Resources that you can access from home to entertain and educate yourselves and any young persons living in your household. My particular favourite is 'Busythings' - who can resist a pink doughnut eating monkey?

New titles added to the eLibrary

We have added 1,332 new eBook titles to the eLibrary in the past week due mainly to the fact that Transworld Publishers (part of Random House) and Harper Collins Australia have released their titles into Overdrive. This means that eLibrary members now have access to eBooks by the following authors:

Transworld (mainly international authors) - Monica Ali, Dan Brown, Lee Child, Michael Crichton, Roddy Doyle, Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth, David Gemmell, Tess Geritsen, Bear Grylls, Mo Hayder, W.E. Johns (Biggles!!), Alexander Kent, Sophie Kinsella (Shopaholic), Henning Mankell (Kurt Wallander series), W Somerset Maugham, Andy McNab, Richelle Mead, Iris Murdoch, James Patterson, Terry Pratchett, Katie Price, Douglas Reeman, Anne Rice, Salman Rushdie, Chris Ryan, Jacqueline Wilson, Karin Slaughter, Irvine Welsh, PG Wodehouse (Jeeves and Wooster).

Harper Collins Australia (mainly Australian authors) - Robert G Barrett, Carmel Bird, Deborah Challinor, Peter Fitzsimons, Nikki  Gemmell, Linda Jaivin, Elizabeth Knox, Karl Kruszelnicki, Stephanie Laurens, Tobsha Learner, Stuart Littlemore, Colleen McCullough, Linda Lael Miller, Tara Moss, Lynne Wilding, Sally Wise.

We have also added some Allen & Unwin titles including the latest books by Kate Morton, Chris Masters and Christi Malthouse's biography of her famous dad.

Happy eReading.

Cheers, Paul.

New Travel Guides in the eLibrary

Lonely Planet are one of the latest publishers to release their books in the eBook format and you can now find over 40 of their latest titles available in our eLibrary. So if you are considering a trip overseas you can log on to the eLibrary and download a guide that will help you plan your great adventure. And while you are at it why not brush up on your foreign languages by registering with our Mango Languages online resource. By registering you are then able to download an App from the Apple App Store or the Android equivalent from Google Play that will allow you to learn your language on the go.

Aurevoir, Paul.

Interesting statistical factoids

I have been number crunching figures regarding how many items the library purchased in the last financial year and have converted them into the following set of factoids which may be of interest.

We purchased 77,612 items for the libraries last financial year.

Now close your eyes and imagine that you are in the Eastern Regional Libraries Cheer Squad behind the goals at the MCG.

If you placed the 3585 CDs that we bought on top of each other they would make a pile twice the height of two goal posts placed on top of each other.

If you then decided to place all of the magazines that we purchased on top of each other (11,295) they would reach as high as a light tower at the MCG (75m in height - the equivalent of a 24 story building).

If you then placed all the DVDs we bought end to end (10,985) they would stretch from the MCG all the way up to the front steps of the State Library of Victoria (2.1 km).

And then if you were to place all of the books that we have purchased this year (Fiction, Non-Fiction and Paperbacks = 33,990) in equal piles in front of the State Library you would have 24 piles of books reaching as high as the library's dome.

But what was even more amazing was the following calculation based on the items purchased for the eLibrary. 

The eLibrary collection contains 7,636 eBooks and 1,607 audiobooks.

I was able to calculate an average for the file size of the eBooks and audiobooks and then calculated that the total size of the eLibrary equated to approximately 60,000,000 kilobytes......... which sounds pretty impressive until you realise that 60,000,000 kilobytes equates to 60 gigabytes or 0.06 terabytes.

Basically you would be able to store our entire eLibrary collection on a 1TB portable hard drive from Dick Smiths and have room for another 15 ERL eLibraries on it!

A 1TB portable hard drive is the same size as a normal paperback book and costs $150.

Cheers, Paul.

Library catalogue will be unavailable from midnight tonight

Due to a planned upgrade the library catalogue will be unavailable from midnight tonight until approximately 4am. We apologise for any inconvenience.

So for all the night owls, please plan your renewals and holds earlier than usual or wait a few hours.

Cheers, webgurl

Finding your way around e-books and e-Library with @LibraryGod

Want to download an audiobook or an eBook? Have a smart phone, iPad or eBook reader?

Paul Burden aka @LibraryGod will share his experiences with this exciting new technology. Come along and learn all about it at our information session right here at Lilydale Library.

It's easy!

When: Tuesday 14th March 2pm
Where: Lilydale Library, Anderson Street, Lilydale
Cost: Free event
Bookings preferred phone 92943120 or book online - e-books

Cheers, Maryanne

eLibrary collection continues to grow

We have recently added 424 new eBook titles to the eLibrary that can all be accessed from wherever and whenever you are if you have a connection to the internet. The latest update includes children's novels, picture books, graphic novels, crime fiction, romance, recipe books, self-help manuals, histories, true-crime, joke books, classics, biographies, westerns and much, much more.

Enjoy your eReading.

Cheers, Paul.

Ask our expert: Finding your way around eBooks and eLibrary

• Ready - choosing the right device
• Set - Loading the correct program
• Go - Checking out our catalogue

Paul Burden will share his experiences with this exciting new technology.

When: Friday 17th February 1pm
Where: Yarra Junction Library Hoddle Street, Yarra Junction
Cost: Free event
Bookings essential phone 59671588 or book online - eBooks
Cheers, Maryanne

New additions to ERL eLibrary

We have just added a couple of hundred new titles to the virtual bookshelves of our eLibrary. Amongst the quality titles you will now find waiting to be downloaded to your eReader of choice are the following eBooks:

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (these are also available as eAudiobooks)

The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater (numbers 1 and 2 are also available as eAudiobooks)

Extra copies of the highly popular Harry Bosch series of books by Michael Connelly.

Other authors included are Marcia Muller, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Howard Jacobson and Andrew Klavan.

And for your listening pleasure the following eAudiobook titles are available:

Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose

Brick Lane by Monica Ali

The Firm by John Grisham

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

Enjoy your eReading and eListening!

Cheers, Paul.

New eBook titles added to the eLibrary

We have recently added another 2000 eBooks to our eLibrary. These are all ready to be downloaded and read now. Amongst the titles you will find online are:
'Red Dog' by Louis De Bernieres
'War Horse' by Michael Morpurgo
'And another thing - the world according to Clarkson' by Jeremy Clarkson
'Nine Dragons' by Michael Connelly
'Chelsea Mansions' by Barry Maitland
'The Fry Chronicles' by Stephen Fry
'After Romulus' by Raimond Gaita
'The Graveyard Book' by Neil Gaiman
'Eat, Pray, Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert
'Death by Water' by Kerry Greenwood
'Jamie's 30 Minute Meals' by Jamie Oliver
'Impractical Jokes' by Charlie Pickering
'The Happiest Refugee' by Anh Do
'The Eye of the Storm' by Patrick White
'American Journeys' by Don Watson
and many, many others.
If the eBook has been checked out already you are able to put a reservation on it and will be sent an email when it is your turn to borrow.

Happy eReading,
Cheers, Paul.

New audiobooks in eLibrary

We have just added another 334 audiobooks to the eLibrary collection available through our website by clicking on the 'eBooks eLibrary' button. All of these audiobooks are available to download from home. Amongst the literary gems you can now listen to are Bill Bryson's 'Downunder', Joanne Harris' 'Chocolat', Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' and Roald Dahl's 'Matilda'.

Enjoy!

Paul.