Sumter Library dropping Boundless
 

At the present time, the Sumter County Library uses a few apps for E-books. One of them is Boundless.

They are dropping Boundless and replacing it with CloudLibrary. I just figured out how to use Boundless last year!!

Does anyone have any experience with CloudLibrary?

Boundless was awful took way too long to get e books.

Wonder how long before this new system us up and running. They have been working on this change for a good 6 months.

Boundless
 

We have been using cloudlibrary in Lake County for the last year and it works just like Boundless and has more books on it.

Does the app have anything to do with the number of e-books the library offers?

I assumed the library paid for the rights to loan a particular e-book and that all the e-books they had paid for were available in the app. Is there more to it than that?

It appears that assumption was incorrect. I just saw an announcement that claimed CloudLibrary would come with a larger selection of books. Not at all the way I thought it worked.

Still no support for Kindle users. I pay my Sumter County taxes and can't use my library to checkout eBooks to read with my Kindle Paperwhite.

CloudLibrary tutorials.

Short version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pucnEky06i4

Longer version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OhSu8PWgE8

Thanks wonder when it will be available to us. Also what happens to books on boundless waiting list?

Available now and the two apps don’t communicate as far as I can tell.

The only library app supported by Kindle paperwhite is Libby. Loans need to be placed on a pc and then loaded to the Kindle paperwhite. Sumter does not support Libby. Lake county does. If you are not in Lake county there is a substantial charge for a library card.

The Kindle uses a proprietary format. Other devices by Samsung, Apple and a hundred other companies do not.

Blame Kindle, not the library.

I called the Sumter library today and they told me that they were changing over to cloudlibrary in May. However, I went on the cloudlibrary app tonight and it works with my Sumter library card. I just downloaded a book to my iPad. The selection seems better than boundless.

Lake County also appears to be using cloudlibrary.

What annoys me is that Sumter County Library System (Library) provides a free borrower’s card to any resident of the State of Florida who completes an application.

I don’t think Lake gives us a free library card to Sumter residents. Lake gives you free cards to residents of Marion, Seminole, and Volusia counties. They charge us $40 a year.

Never understood why Sumter is so nice to other counties when they do nothing for us. Once asked Don Wiley to look into this but never got a response

Lake gave me a card good for one year. When the year ran out, I could not renew without a charge. Depends on who is standing behind the counter I guess.

cloudlibrary youtube video
 

I just watched the short version and I'm sure the narrator kept saying libary, instead of library. At least that's how it sounded to me.

Lobby ebook is what Sumter should use
 

They should be using Libby. Much easier to use and wide selection of books. Fast downloads and retention of books on reader. Used it in CO and never had issues like I have had with Boundless. Could also reserve books prior release. I stopped reading many series of books because I can't find them on Boundless.. Sumter should go with Libby and not bother with the second rate ebook serviices.

When digital books came out, I thought it would revolutionize libraries. Why pay for all the library shelves and space when the books can be stored in the cloud? And publishing a digital book should be a lot cheaper than printing a hard copy. Unfortunately, digital books are more expensive for libraries than hard copies.

The following article explains the problem.

The True Cost of eBooks and Audiobooks for Libraries - Spokane Public Library

What bothers me is that the Sumter County libraries are operated by a private contractor, and there is zero security. Anyone can walk into a library and take as many books and DVDs they want, with no requirement to check them out or to ever return them.

Language police
 

Oh, my!

I currently use Boundless from the Sumter County Library and I have to pay $40 per year to use the Cloud Library at the Lake County Library. Ebook offerings are a lot different between the two systems.

I only use either library to download ebooks. My question is, if the Sumter County Library system changes to Cloud Library, will I get the same exact ebook offerings from either county library? If that is the case I would be wasting $40 for a library card for Lake County.

OR, does each county library make an independent decision on which, or, how many books they would offer to their customers?

I agree 100% with this. I even wrote sent them an email and it appears they don't care. I pay to use Broward County Florida's libby access. It is about 39 a year.

you can join Broward county Florida's library for $39 per year for libby access as a non resident

Broward county also gives free library card to Sumter. They have a good selection also. I don’t know what system they use. It’s been a while since I used it.

My wife and I are avid Kindle users, with no desire to change to a different e-reader. So, it is very disappointing that Sumter County has no options for us. However, our daughter lives in Maryland and she was able to hook us up with a perfect solution. On a visit a couple years ago, we went to the Montgomery County library, and we were able to get a non-resident library card for $10 per year. We get full access to Libby, and all it has to offer for Kindle users.

That's a good question. Since you can see the Lake offerings on CloudLibrary already, switch your login to your Sumter card number and see if the same books are available. (I don't have a Lake card so I can't do that - you have both cards so you can)

You can read ebooks on a Kindle Fire tablet, but not on a Kindle ereader. As far as I know, Samsung and Apple sell tablets, but not ereaders. Kindle is, by far, the most popular ereader device and format available. I think the libraries should adapt their ebook collections to operate on the Kindle ereader. It is a significant part of their ebook customer base.

I haven’t needed a Kindle ereader since getting an iPad many years ago. I have the kindle app on my iPad & iPhone, which makes it much more convenient to use than having to have a separate ereader.

Good question. Love Boundless. Going to finish reading my current and do a screenshot of my wishlist and waiting list. 😕

A lot of people prefer an ereader because it is easier to read than a tablet, it can be used outdoors in the sun, and there are features that the Kindle software provides that a tablet doesn't.

Yep, an e-reader is lighter, smaller, and the brighter the sun the easier it is to read.

If I read enough I would definitely purchase an e-reader to carry as well as my iPad. I would also look into the $40/year at Lake County and possibly Amazon's Kindle Unlimited (which really isn't unlimited which is why I would only possibly look into it).

This is from the Sumter Library website. It looks like a huge increase in the choices available!

This change will increase our eBook and eAudiobook collection from just over 13, 411 to more than 330,000 titles!

The CloudLibrary App is free and available for Apple and Android devices, computers, Kindle Fire, and other eReaders.

Boundless will be discontinued at a later date, but we will be offering both services in parallel until that time.

Went to library today and very nice librarian helped me install the app on my fire.

When I went exploring was able to use the app to download one book and put another on hold.

Looks like a much much better system than boundless. Any books that are on hold there will disappear when the changeover takes place.

Nice to hear that.

I would be surprised if there is no security. It is probably hidden with trackers in the books and a sensor in the doors.

A lot of the libraries I have been in sensors you see but more design conscious ones may have them built into something.

Not correct. I have seen people walk out with 10 or more DVDs. There is no security. They don't even have locks on the DVD cases. So, you can remove the discs and put them in your pocket. There is no security on the books.

Sounds like very poor management. Most of the libraries I have been have locks on their DVDs. Just a piece of some kind of material that the library worker needs to take out of the case to access the DVD.

The management is provided by a private contractor who doesn't care if materials are stolen or not. They still get paid.

Given your in-depth knowledge of the workings of the library it seems like you must be part of the oversight there. Why don't you use your position to initiate a change if you feel one is needed?

If that is a bad assumption and you are not part of the oversight then have you considered bringing these concerns to a County or Library Board meeting where they can be heard by someone who might be able to effect a change?

I’m aware of all that and used to have a Kindle, but I sold it because I preferred my iPad/iPhone. However, I’m not an “outside in the sun” reader, so that’s not an issue for me.

As stated in an earlier post I use Boundless and Cloud Library thru Lake County Library system. Today I signed into Cloud Library with my Sumter County Library card to compare offerings from each.

I checked availability of two authors, C.J. Box and Linda Castillo. I found the following. Both Sumter County library card and Lake County library card show the same availability thru Cloud Library for both authors. Unfortunately, Boundless currently offers significantly more titles for both authors.

It does not appear to me that Cloud Library is necessarily more comprehensive. I will give one example from my research. Boundless lists 28 ebooks and 33 audio books for C. J. Box. The Cloudless Library lists 17 ebooks and 14 audio books for C.J. Box.

I have noticed that for many authors Cloud Library does not always carry all books in series which is very frustrating. That was something nice about using both systems. You can usually find all the titles between the two. Maybe with Boundless going away it will not be so easy.

As far as the other author, Linda Castillo, Boundless listed 42 ebooks and 31 audio books. Cloud Library listed 17 ebooks and 14 audio books. Quite a difference.

Of course YMMV.