If you could easily find library books for free, might your Amazon spending drop and your borrowing of books increase?
Every Friday I share one of my favourite finds of the week — a website, tool or an app that has impressed me.
My Friday Favourite this week is Library Extension – Find Library Books for Free.
What is it?
Library Extension is a web browser extension that helps you find library books for free. It instantly checks your local library’s online catalogue and display the availability of that item on the same page.
How much does it cost?
Library Extension is free to use.
If you want to support the development and maintenance of Library Extension, you can make a donation.
Find Library Books for Free
I’m an avid book reader and have written before about Why Successful Business Leaders Read Regularly.
However, as an avid book buyer, suffer with what the Japanese call “Tsundoku” (the Japanese word for the New Books That Pile Up on Our Shelves).
If I see a book I’m interested in, I invariably buy it — and my credit card takes a hammering.
In an attempt to reduce my Amazon spend and support my local library, I’ve become a big fan of the Library Extension tool.
Library Extension is an extension for the Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge web browsers.
As you browse books on sites like Amazon and Goodreads, Library Extension can check your library’s online catalogue and display the availability of that item on the same page.
Once installed, you configure Library Extension to know which local libraries you have access to.
You don’t have to manually search across multiple libraries catalogues, as if you have access to multiple libraries, the Library Extension can use all of these to display availability at each library.
Here in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, I have access to the Newcastle Central Library, plus libraries in North Tyneside — and I found all these libraries were supported by Library Extension.
Library Extension also supports digital catalogue providers for ebooks, such as:-
- Axis360
- BorrowBox
- Cloud Library
- Hoopla
- Overdrive
- RBDigital
This extension has already saved me hundreds of pounds in borrowing books and ebooks from my local library that I would otherwise have bought (and perhaps, not read) from Amazon.
How can I get it?
Simply visit the Library Extension web-site and install the Library Extension web-browser extension.
You can also follow @LibraryExt on Twitter.
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Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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Comments
2 thoughts on Library Extension – Find Library Books for Free
DAVID WITHINGTON
21ST OCTOBER 2020 21:49:19
Thanks Richard. I'll be installing that for sure. I already use RB Digital to borrow magazines; this looks even better. ????
RICHARD TUBB
26TH OCTOBER 2020 09:46:50
David -- excellent! RB Digital is one of the digital libraries that Library Extension connects with. :-)