Traveling for the Holidays?

Every trip I take requires plenty of reading material to carry along. After all, you never know when you might get a chance to read and you certainly don’t want to be stuck reading labels, assembly instructions, and so forth. I like to take at least several books, an audio or two, and several magazines. Sometimes I need an extra bag just to tote all this necessary stuff. See?

With the advent of eBooks, eAudios, and eMagazines, I have to confess that I still prefer to put my hands on the book or the magazine. There’s just something about the experience of holding the book in your hands and turning the pages (sometimes quickly) that electronic devices just do not equal. A year or so ago, though, I had an “AHA” moment. I was traveling light and decided to try the CMRLS Axis 360 and Flipster apps for my reading/listening needs. I downloaded an audio and a book from the Magic Wall, then I went to Flipster and found a magazine to download. The great thing about this download was I could get all three items where I could read/listen while offline. Who knew you could have access without an Internet connection? Well, you can! The other great thing was IT WAS FREE.  Using my library card, there was no cost to borrow all these items.

So off I went on my trip with just my iPad as my reading buddy and guess what? I found happiness and joy reading on an electronic device plus my load was much lighter. Did my discovery cause me to abandon my old friend, the book? No. Never. But I have found a balance to the book vs. eBook question because sometimes it is just more convenient to have the electronic version of my current read. I’ve been known to have the book checked out and the eBook as well and trade back and forth. 

The holidays are coming up and many of us will be traveling to visit family and/or friends. If you haven’t tried any of our free electronic books, audios, or magazines, experiment on your next trip. Download an item or two and give them a whirl. You might find, like me, that it’s a wonderful complement to your reading pleasure. To access these items, all you need is your library card. Go to our website, www.cmrls.lib.ms.us and click on the “Digital Library” tab. You will see the link to the Magic Wall for eBooks and downloadable audios and Flipster for downloadable magazines.  Give it a try this holiday season…then let us know what you think.