E Readers

There are many E-readers on the market and they are each unique and access different e-book stores and in some cases the library. In order to make this easier for you, below are suggestions and information we have gathered in order to answer customer questions. If your question is not answered here you may call (832) 393-1313 or fill in our e-mail reference form and we will get back to you with an answer.

Can my e-reader access the library?
The two services provided by the library are Overdrive and NetLibrary. The chart below gives you some of the most popular e-readers and what major services and providers they are compatible with.


Which e-reader should I buy?
Here are some suggested criteria to evaluate them:

1. Do you want to be able to use the library resources?
1. must have a home computer to access these
2. What other books do you usually purchase and are they available for the e-reader you are considering?
3. Do you want to have the ability to see illustrations in color?
1. The Nook Color and the IPad along with various other tablet computers will allow you to see e-books available in color.
4. Do you suffer eyestrain when reading on a backlit screen (Nook Color; IPad)?
5. You may use the library wireless if the device is wireless to download titles from the supported bookstore. If a computer is required, the library computers will not allow you to do this.

What is Adobe Digital Editions? Do I need it?
Adobe Digital Editions allows you to download E-Pub format e-books to your computer, use e-books from the library, and manage an e-reader that uses the E-Pub format.

go to: http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/ to download the software and/or create an account that is required for any E-Pub formatted e-books. The e-mail address and password that you create for this account needs to be consistent across devices or your e-books may not work.

Can I read library e-books on my phone or tablet?
Right now you can read e-books from our Overdrive service on any handheld Apple device such as an I-phone or Android phone or device using the Overdrive App available from the App Store for free.

Those pesky tech words that you may not know the meaning of hopefully explained

E-Ink - a screen that does not use light to display an image. The text and graphics appear as black letters on a light gray background. E-Ink readers can be read in the sunlight but not in the dark without a book light.

Backlit - a screen that looks like a TV or computer screen. A backlit device can do color. Backlit readers can not be read in bright light such as sunshine but can be read in the dark.

E-Pub - an e-book format created by Adobe. Not all E-Pub e-books can be read on every E-Pub device. DRM is set differently by each provider and prevents this.

DRM - Digital Rights Management - The security encoded in the e-book that prevents you from copying the e-book and putting it on the Internet. Each provider has their own.