Library to add e-books, put card signup online

Library patrons will soon be able to borrow a book and never even set foot inside a library. They will go online and get a county library card and an e-book at the same time.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the plan to expand digital access to reading materials at its meeting Tuesday, Feb. 13.

The county library contracts with the company, Overdrive, to provide e-books. The digital media’s increasing popularity has prompted the county library to ask the board to approve an additional $200,000 on Overdrive materials and services.

For those using Google to look for book titles in the county’s service area, the search results will now show e-books available through Overdrive. Library cardholders can click through and download the book.

The new funding includes an added feature: for those without a county library card, they can instantly get one online, on the spot, for the Overdrive books. From there, library patrons can proceed to checkout for the library e-book. The new card feature has allowed other libraries to gain 1,000 additional cardholders a month.

Overdrive is expected to deliver the library card service online in April.

Readers can also access county library e-books through Overdrive’s app. E-books have been so popular, the county library expects to see more than 1 million downloads during the fiscal year. The number places the county library on the list of 52 North American libraries with an annual circulation topping 1 million.