Residents and patrons of the Conyers-Rockdale Library now be able to check out and read their favorite titles as eBooks.

A starting collection of 200 eBooks has been purchased with gift money from the estate of Mrs. Emily Hodges Young.  This collection will be a greater percentage of best selling fiction, with the remainder being split between non-fiction and juvenile literature. 

Director Daryl Fletcher and several staff members researched various companies that provide eBook service before reaching a consensus on a program called Axis 360. The Board of Trustees approved the choice in December.   

“We’re getting more for our money and excellent service with Baker and Taylor. Axis 360 is very easy to use and I’m confident that patrons will enjoy the process of browsing and selecting titles to download,” said Fletcher.

To download eBooks, a patron must first have a library card issued from the Conyers-Rockdale Library, and their PIN.  Instructions on how to download Blio and then access Axis 360 are on the library’s website conyersrockdalelibrary.org.    Each book title is treated as a physical copy, which means it won’t be available if someone else has downloaded it. But patrons can place a hold on the title, or add it to their wish list. Titles can’t be renewed, but they can be checked out again if no one is waiting for it. There are no fines, as eBooks expire after the two week loan period.

The eBook collection is hosted by book vendors Baker and Taylor, using their delivery program called Axis 360. 

According to a press release from Baker and Taylor, Inc, “Libraries using the Axis 360 service benefit from the latest web technologies and cloud based delivery to mobile devices. Patrons will enjoy the dynamic presentation of titles on the Axis 360 Magic Wall, and the ease of locating books of interest via Browse by Subject pages.  Axis 360 also improves the user experience for borrowing digital content from the library. Cloud- based delivery greatly simplifies the process of downloading what patrons want to read onto the devices they prefer to use, including iOS, Android and Window tablets and smart phones.”

This is a brand-new service for Baker and Taylor, Inc. and Conyers-Rockdale library is the first library in Georgia to contract with them. Axis 360 will be introduced in stages; at present, patrons will be able to download books on their PCs, tablets (iPad and Android) and various smart phones, using the free software “Blio.” 

Later this spring, Baker and Taylor will be adding support for practically all eBook readers (except for Kindle) by using Adobe Digital Editions.  This will include but is not limited to Nook, Kobo, Sony Reader, etc. 

The full device list for ADE service is here:  http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalpublishing/supported-devices