Ebooks at the Library

As you browse through the collection of ebooks available to check out at no cost to you from Sunflower eLibrary, we at the Andover Library hope you enjoy the service. However, we are aware that the collection is limited: we are not always able to get the books people want. The following items are listed on our website but interested patrons can learn more by searching for "ebooks in libraries" online. Thanks for reading and let us know what you'd like to see in the library, both digitally and in print.

What you need to know about ebooks at the library:

1.  Not all books are available as ebooks.Maybe the author didn’t sell ebook rights. Maybe the publisher thinks no one will pay money for that title in ebook form. Maybe there are legal snafus that have not been made public. Who knows? What it all means is some books are not available digitally for anyone.

2.  Not all ebooks are available to libraries.
Even if you see the ebook on Amazon, we may not be able to buy it for the library. Some publishers do not sell ebooks to libraries. If they did, we would buy them when funds are available.

3.  Libraries pay more for ebooks.Publishers know that more people will be reading the library copy. While an individual person may pay $2.00 for a book, a library may pay $20.00 for the same title.

4.  Ebooks don’t always come out on the release date.Some publishers only sell the hardcover at first. They release the ebook when the paperback comes out.

5.  “Ebook” does not mean “Always available to everyone all the time.”As far as publishers (and therefore, libraries) are concerned, an ebook is just like a physical copy of a book. If we pay for one copy of the book, only one person can check it out at a time.

6.  The library wants to get that ebook for you.If there is a book you want to read in ebook form, please ask us to buy it. If we are not able to do so, we will let you know.