HomeStyleTool of the Trade: Library Extension

Tool of the Trade: Library Extension


A shelving area of a library that has six shelves and is full of books

Kat lately advised me concerning the browser extension Library Extension, and it seems to be prefer it’s going to be actually helpful — greater than its not-exactly-creative identify may recommend. Once you’re a guide itemizing on Amazon or Goodreads, this instrument can examine its availability at your native libraries — amongst each bodily books and e-books.

Library Extension (to not be confused with Library Factor) is offered for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, and it searches hoopla, Libby/Overdrive, and several other different e-book platforms. It might probably entry the catalogs of 5,000 libraries, which is about one-third of the libraries within the U.S., and extra are being added. The web site allows you to seek for a library and request that your library be added.

To examine the provision of a guide, you don’t must create an account (although you’ll be able to join the month-to-month e-newsletter), and the web site says the extension gained’t monitor your exercise.

{associated: 6 Nice Books on Productiveness}

As soon as you put in the extension, you’ll want to decide on libraries; I additionally added hoopla and Web Archive‘s Open Library. I couldn’t discover my native library department, however then I found out I must be much less particular and seek for the identify of my county library system as an alternative. (I don’t know if I actually wanted so as to add hoopla, as a result of Library Extension is already set as much as search my native libraries’ printed-book and e-book collections, however I figured I would as properly.)

Right here’s what Library Extension confirmed me after I visited the Goodreads web page for Margaret Atwood’s new brief story assortment, Outdated Babes within the Woods:

screenshot from Library Extension, showing availability of a Margaret Atwood book
Library Extension browser extension

Once I clicked on the hyperlink for the bodily guide, the extension took me to my library’s catalog web page for the guide. The main points it listed have been appropriate — 2 out of the 25 copies are on the shelf at 2 branches. (I positioned a maintain at my closest department as an alternative, as a result of I’m in the course of a protracted guide proper now anyway!)

Clearly, when you solely wish to examine one library system, you’ll be able to go on to its web site to do a search (although this instrument does prevent a couple of clicks), however you probably have privileges at a number of libraries, it may actually save time to discover a guide.

{associated: The Greatest Books, Motion pictures and Extra for a Lengthy Weekend}

Readers, tell us: Have you ever tried Library Extension? What are your favourite book-related apps? Simply how huge is your TBR checklist? And what are you at the moment studying?



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