I’ve been feeling a little frustrated with my online library options. I have long used Overdrive for my online listening. I started doing that when we lived on the farm. At the time we were in the very south west corner of the county. Well we moved from the farm to the house in town. We moved only 3 or so miles.  The move was enough to put us in the Northwest corner of the county below us. Thus we now live in a different county.
Well a month or so ago after me being so excited that the online library immediately added three audiobooks I was wanting, the library pulled my library card. I was so disappointed.
Well I called the library who had my card. No answer. Ugh. Coronavirus. So I dug around and found an email for them. I emailed and got a response the next day. They went through and “purged” the library system and withdrew my library card because I was no longer living in the county. My online library privileges are gone. All of the books I had on my waiting list that I have been waiting month for are gone. All of the books that I had requested are gone.
Worst part of that…I have no record of what the books were. I can’t get into the account to see the titles. It has all vanished.
I have a request in to the county library for another library card but to date, haven’t heard anything.
I do still have my Hoopla card….but that is only temporary too. UGH. Just as coronavirus hit, I was told my card was going to expire and I had to go there in person to renew it. Well my card is out of Manchester, Iowa library. The library is about an hour-ish away from me. I called. I said that I likely couldn’t get there soon.  Was there any way they could extend my card. They said yes for a month. Well then the Iowa libraries all closed because of coronavirus.
Well the month is coming to a close and I’m wondering if I can get another extension or if I really do have to go there in person to renew the card. I’ll wait until I get a notice but seriously, I do think coronavirus is enough to bend the rule and extend my card for a year….so, I’ve been frustrated with my online libraries.
Sometime I wish I could just get all the books from Audible, but alas, I’m too frugal to do that.
It’s made finding free good audiobooks more of challenge but, I did manage to find a good book…It’s Call Your Daughter Home by Deb Spera.
I got this book through Hoopla and LOVED it. The story is about three different women all from a different social class- One is a society white woman, one a black housekeeper, one a poor white financially troubled woman. One would think they had little on common but the book shows that we all deal with trouble and that trouble comes to all of us in a different but similar way.
I loved the first person narrative. I loved the drive and spunk of all three of these amazing women who are fighting to make their way through life.
Here’s what Amazon had to say:“For readers and listeners of Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing and Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, this extraordinary historical debut novel follows three fierce Southern women in an unforgettable story of motherhood and womanhood.Â
It’s 1924 in Branchville, South Carolina, and three women have come to a crossroads. Gertrude, a mother of four, must make an unconscionable decision to save her daughters. Retta, a first-generation freed slave, comes to Gertrude’s aid by watching her children, despite the gossip it causes in her community. Annie, the matriarch of the influential Coles family, offers Gertrude employment at her sewing circle, while facing problems of her own at home. These three women seemingly have nothing in common, yet as they unite to stand up to injustices that have long plagued the small town, they find strength in the bond that ties women together. Told in the pitch-perfect voices of Gertrude, Retta, and Annie, Call Your Daughter Home is an emotional, timeless story about the power of family, community, and ferocity of motherhood.”
Amazon readers gave the book 4.6 stars. I agree. It’s really good and I highly recommend it. I think the book would make a great movie…at least one I’d like to watch.
You can find the book HERE on Amazon.
I live 3.5 miles from the Library, but I live out of district. To get a card it is $75 a year. So I don’t bother anymore. Frustrating.
Well that is frustrating! I really enjoy your book suggestions. I know I do need to renew every once in a while, but I would think you could do that.
The Manchester Library re-opened today for curbside pick up but they are taking phone calls so maybe you can give them a call and work something out.
Does the library have a website? Perhaps there is information there that would help you. Hopefully you’ll get the help you need.
As a former librarian, I can tell you that downloadable materials are extremely expensive for libraries. . A book you can download from Amazon for $10 will cost a library 10 times that. And the library’s license for that book expires after a certain number of downloads. It can be likened to software licensing. Because of this, most library systems will not allow people out of the district to use downloadable materials. They reserve the right to use these materials for those who pay taxes in that district. If you don’t know this, it can seem unfair, but it really isn’t.
Ditto what Katy said. I worked in a library also and we had so many complaints because people would move and not change their card. Call or email your NEW library and ask if you can do an online application. Under the circumstances, they may let you. Proof of residency can be emailed also so that shouldn’t be a hindrance. Second option, check with your old library to see if they offer reciprocal cards. You may be allowed certain benefits if they do offer reciprocal cards. It is hard on people in a situation like this but it is also hard on rural libraries with limited budgets to serve those who are not paying the taxes to support the library. If you have a Kindle, I know there used to be an option for free books or just Google free downloadable books. I worked in a library and liked paper books so never explored the download option to any extent.
I pay $5 year as an out of county fee to go to the library in the town that I frequent the most. Maybe you can do such with your old county and get reinstated.
I use audibles, but it is too expensive. Try Chirp audiobooks. They have daily specials and books can be really cheap. It can be a waiting game for certain titles to go on sale, but it is cheaper than audibles.
I subscribe to Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. It is $9.99 a month for unlimited reading and you can have up to 10 books at a time in your account. I read anywhere from 1 to 3 a month so it is well worth the price. Of course all titles not included but I have ready many books that I would not have otherwise selected. Another nice thing, If I dont like the way the book is going and I can’t get into it, just get another one. Turn that in and find something else. Yes, it does cost but my husband spends that much buying other books.
Netflix has acquired the rights to call your daughter home for a potential series
HOW frustrating! I have been living w the on line books. I haven’t gotten into Audible so much, but the library YES. our library is just starting to function. they have some days for people to bring back books. and some on line assistance. but I haven’t used either of those things…..
https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/the-beatrice-stubbs-boxset-one-by-jj-marsh?promotion_id=7956
Jo, above is a link to a service that offers audio books at a very reduced price. Many for .99 cents. Try them out. I have read/listened to many of their books. They are usually older books or first books by new authors, but definitely worth looking into.
Librivox is also an option for free books. All of their books are public domain books, so older books, and read by volunteers. There are some great ones if you want to listen to some classics!
My hoopla account rarely has a book that I want. They have a few new books but nothing I’m interested in and a ton of old books. They also do not have certain popular authors at all. And they only download so many books per day so I often get the remark something along the lines of all downloads have been used for the day, Try again tomorrow. And do I remember, usually not. Or if I do remember by 8 or 9 in the morning the downloads are all gone. So frustrating. And my local library is connected with the State library for downloading books. The problem is if there are 10 books on the top 10 list, the two that I am interested in reading are not ordered. I requested numerous books and only two or three have ever actually been ordered. I rarely request a book to be added to the library anymore. And if there is a series of say six books, they may have the second, third and sixth one. I don’t understand that either.
Thanks Katy S for the explanation on how the purchasing downloads works. Does the library pay a premium for hard copies of the books or just download books?
I remember being jealous of your great library that you belonged to. I belong to four online libraries and two of them have Hoopla. So that is six different sources for Call Your Daughter Home and none of them have it. I really wanted to listen to it after reading your blog post. I can’t tell you what a disappointment this is.
I hope you will be able to reinstate your library card. I got mine by going to neighboring counties and just asking for a card. I also got a card from the Free Library of Phila. There are many times I cannot find a book or an author that I am interested in.