Introduction: Reading Library Books on an IPad or Kindle

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OK-- Here we go.. My daughter just got a kindle for Christmas so that she can have all the books she wants available at her fingertips.. So, of course the next question is.. "How do I get the books onto this thing?"

There are a ton of book readers out there now, all with their own special features and copy protection means- but they all work about the same. For now- I'm going to focus just on iPad & Kindle in their most basic use.

Before we get started on the instructions- here's the pre-requisites.

1. Buy a Kindle, or download the kindle iPad app.. From this point forward I'll no longer refer to both the iPad and the kindle, because as soon as you're running the kindle app on your iPad it's effectively a really cool kindle that will also do a million other things.

2. Figure out where you're going to get your books from..- I'm going to use my local library as the demo. I have checked out books from the local regional library as well as the Seattle Public library, and they both work about the same- so I'm sure most libraries that offer e-books do it the same

Step 1: Logging on to the Library

As a mentioned before, my local regional library allows me to check out books, so that's what I'll use for the demo. Check with your local library first, if they don't do it then you may have to use the bigger municipal library. 

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Be careful about trying to checkout books from a library outside you're local area. There are numerous articles online about people that have tried to circumvent the system by checking out books from a library in a city in another state. This is illegal and can get your library card revoked. The local library is supported by your local taxes, so they don't want people from outside getting your books. You may think they'll never know where you *actually* are- but it's very easy to figure out, your computer IP address is tied to your internet connection (which is where you physically are), More an more places are starting to back-trace your location to ensure you are a local resident using the library. 
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When you get on the library page you want to find a link that says E-books, or digital library.. something along those lines. If you just search the entire library you may find the book you want, only to find out it's not available for electronic download.

Step 2: Find Your Book

My library has a sidebar that neatly divides the books into audio books, ebooks, and other stuff. YES you can also download audio books to your iPad, but I'm not going to cover that here.


Step 3: Filter Just for Available Books

Another thing most libraries will let you do is filter just for the available books.. This way if you're just browsing you don't get disappointed each time you find an interesting book and it's not available.

Step 4: View Information

Here's the book I chose for the example- when you click on any book it will show you more information about the book. The first thing you are looking for here is the format the book is available in. We are specifically looking for KINDLE BOOKS- even if you are using it on an iPad, kindle books are much easier to deal with than PDFs and other formats. Next look at "available copies" so that you make sure you can download one. If it's not available you can request to be notified when it becomes available. 

When you've verified everything suits your needs, click add to eBookBag (or shopping cart, or whatever your library uses)

Step 5: Add to Your Book Bag

The next step is to add it to your bookbag (shopping cart) so that you can check it out. For this example I added two books- the first is the only one we'll be dealing with. The second will be used later to show what to do with PDF eBooks. Once you've verified the book you want is in your eBookBag, then it's time to "Proceed to Checkout." 

Step 6: Login to Your Account

I hadn't logged in to my account prior to starting, so it's asking me to login to confirm my order. If you are already logged in you may be able to skip this step. 

Step 7: Confirm Checkout

Next you'll confirm your checkout, acknowledging the amount of time you can keep the book. Don't worry about keeping it to long though, at the end of your checkout period if just automatically goes back to the library. If you want to still read it you'll have to check it out again.

Step 8: Send to Amazon

You're just about done on your library page- The last thing you need to do is click the "get for kindle " button, or something similar that will send the book over to amazon so that you can download it. I've found it's best to log in to your amazon account in a new browser window prior to clicking this button. If you are not already logged in, the library is going to send you to the amazon home page, vice where you really need to go. If this happens, just click on the manage your kindle link to get to the right place.

Step 9: Download Book

The library magically sends the book over to Amazon so that you can download it it to your device.. From here you need to select your device from the drop down, and then click "Get Library book"

Step 10: Manage Your Kindle

I"m not sure what the previous step really does, because you still have to send it to the device. Make sure your kindle is on your wireless network, and then click "manage your kindle"

Step 11: Deliver to Your Device

The final step is to really deliver it to your device. on the manage your kindle page, click on the "actions" button which will give you a pop-up that has an option to "Deliver to my.." click on this and then select your device. If you have multiple kindles you can choose which one here.

Step 12: View on Kindle

Now turn on your kindle and it should show up. If you're using an iPad, you may need to force it to sync if it doesn't sync on launch-- Then your book should show up in the list of books...  enjoy your reading.!!