The Library’s Overdrive subscription has been expanded to offer ebooks in addition to audiobooks.

These ebooks are in the Adobe EPUB format, and work with many ereader devices, including the Barnes and Noble Nook and Sony eReader – they are not compatible with the Amazon Kindle or Apple iPad.

Anyone with a valid MVLC library card can visit http://mvlc.lib.overdrive.com to start browsing. We’re starting with a small ebook collection, but will continue to add titles.

Searching for ebooks works the same as searching for audiobooks, but you will need to download and install the free Adobe Digital Editions software. Overdrive provides instructions for getting started, and offers a great video guided tour of using our Overdrive library. We also have an introductory brochure [pdf] that gives tips on using Overdrive.

In addition to Overdrive, our Reading Room page lists other places from which Chelmsford residents can download free ebooks (including some Kindle resources).

If you’re still considering purchasing an ebook reader, here are resources to help you evaluate which device would work best for you:

• News and Advice from Consumer Reports
• Reviews from c|net
• Reviews from PC Magazine
• Reviews from Wired Magazine
• Privacy information from the Electronic Frontier Foundation: E-Book Buyer’s Guide to Privacy and privacy comparison charts of the top models