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eBooks at the Rapid City Public Library By John Pappas Whether you plan to explore “The Hundred Simple Secrets of Happy People” by Dr. David Niven or want to follow author Greg Mortenson through the villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan in “Three Cups of Tea,” eBooks provide a convenient way for us to enjoy our favorite books. The Rapid City Public Library is tapping into this emerging technology and fulfilling the promise that books have the power to take us anywhere.” With the addition of eBooks to our downloadable audiobooks service from Overdrive, beginning August 1 patrons will be able to download eBooks to their readers from their own home-computer, laptop or at either of our two library locations. Downloading is as simple as going to our website at www.rapidcitylibrary.org, clicking on the “Database” tab and then scrolling down to “Overdrive.” Our eBooks are available in both EPUD and PDF formats and can be downloaded to your Smartphone, eBook reader or directly to your laptop. To have your favorite titles right at your fingertips you will need a valid library card, internet access, an eBook Reader or Smartphone and software that you can download onto your computer or reading device from our website. Once you have it downloaded you are ready to click, check out and enjoy. Once only in the hands of an elite few, eBooks are now gaining more popularity as eBook readers become more affordable and Smartphones become more popular as a venue for not only communication but for computing and entertainment as well. Just this last Christmas season, Amazon.com reported that, for the first time in history, more people purchased eBooks than print books from their website. Several features make eBooks enticing to patrons. Most importantly, eBook readers are designed to make your reading experience more enjoyable and less of a hassle on the go. They are lightweight, portable and make it easy to save memorable quotes, small clippings, take notes or highlight passages. eBooks are also environmentally friendly. One recent piece by the New York Times found that both print books and eBook readers are being made largely from recycled material and are environmentally sound but that “all in all, the most ecologically virtuous way to read a book starts by walking to your local library.”
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