April 2024 Standard News article

By Gaylee Harris, Montgomery City Public Library Director

Reading is a favorite pastime for many.  Do you prefer to read print books or e-books?  Some prefer to read print books because they like the weight, smell, and feel of a “real” book.  Others prefer reading electronic books (e-books) and listening to electronic audiobooks (e-audiobooks) on their phone, tablet, or other device due to the ease of use and the ability to adjust a variety of features like speaking speed, spacing, size, color, and type of font. 

Why read an e-book?  E-books are accessible everywhere.  Many books can be downloaded on a single device, making it easy to carry around and taking up less space. E-books can be downloaded from anywhere, meaning you do not have to leave your home to get a new book.  There are accessibility options on e-books like increasing font size, changing of the font style, and read-aloud features. Reading apps have interactive features in which you can highlight text, bookmark pages, take notes, and search for dictionary definitions. You can even search the text and use hyperlinks to access extra information.

The Montgomery City Public Library has over 26,000 physical items in our library.  That does not include the significant amount of digital books available through Blackstone Unlimited, Boundless, MOLIB2GO, and Libby.  Patrons can download these apps from their device’s app store or access them directly from the MCPL website (www.mcplmo.com).  Logins for each digital resource require the patron’s MCPL library card number (21927…..).  Then there are thousands of e-books and e-audiobooks at your fingertips to enjoy! 

Blackstone Unlimited is the newest digital resource available from the Montgomery City Public Library.  Patrons do not have to wait to check out an e-audiobook with Blackstone Unlimited.  Your library card ensures you are always first in line.  There are no waitlists or holds for over 6,000 e-audiobook titles published by Blackstone Publishers.  You are sure to find something you like with Blackstone Unlimited’s increasing collection.  Blackstone Unlimited would be a wonderful resource for a book club to use because the members could all listen to the same e-audiobook at the same time without any waiting.  Blackstone Unlimited e-audiobooks would also help travelers, commuters, farmers, and long-distance drivers enjoy literary entertainment in their vehicles.

Boundless is a digital resource for e-books and e-audiobooks for the whole family.  Once you download the app or use the web version, you can set up user profiles for children, teens, and adults for a customizable reading experience.  The My Shelf feature shows all of your checked-out items.  You can set personal reading goals, track your progress, and earn badges with Boundless too.  With over 10,000 titles and great filters, you will be able to choose just the right book.

MOLIB2GO is a group of libraries working together with Overdrive and Libby to create a shared collection of over 64,000 titles that meet the needs of their patrons.  This shared collection has e-books, e-audiobooks, and magazines to read online or to download onto a patron’s device.  You can read or listen to downloaded books through the free app Libby.  Filters are available to help narrow your search for just the right book including books in Spanish, French, German, and other languages.  Libby is a reading app created by Overdrive and is available for Android, IOS, and Windows 10 devices. You can even have e-books and e-audiobooks delivered to a Kindle or Kindle App through Libby.  

No matter if you prefer the “real” books or the digital books, you can find something that is just right for you at the Montgomery City Public Library and through its website: www.mcplmo.com.  Download the free Blackstone Unlimited, Boundless, and Libby apps from your preferred app store today and start an adventure with new books and old favorites!