CUMBRIANS can now borrow books round-the-clock from their local library from the comfort of their own homes.

An e-book lending service has been launched by the counties libraries following a £20,000 investment.
Cumbria’s Libraries have invested £6,000 in a secure e-book lending platform and a further £14,000 on purchasing the e-books

The service will offer more than 850 e-books for adults, children and young people, with more titles to come in the future. 

All library members have to do is create an Adobe ID via the Adobe website and set up an account on the e-book lending platform, after which they can use their library card and PIN to download e-books of their choice. 

For those who choose not to download to their PC or MAC first, it is even possible to download directly to their Android device, iPhone or iPad by installing the relevant app to their e-reader.

Just like borrowing a physical book from the library, e-books will be on loan for 21 days - after which they will disappear from the device - and e-books can also be reserved. Customers can have up to two e-books on their device at any one time.

Tom Holliday, Professional Lead for Libraries, said: “This is a very exciting project and something our customers have been asking about for some time now. 

"E-books are increasingly popular and for many they are the preferred way to enjoy reading and the new electronic collection adds to our stock of over three quarters of a million physical books. Now we have the system in place e-book content is something we plan to keep growing in the future.”

Both Wirral Council and Stockport Council launched similar schemes in 2011, and have seen huge successes, lending 2,500 e-books monthly and 30,800 e-books since its launch respectively.

Library users can get full instructions on how to download an e-book, including device compatibility, by visiting www.cumbria.gov.uk