Library Extension - instantly see book and e-book availability from your local library

[Sarah]

I just found this fantastic browser extension and want to share it with you all.

It's called 'Library Extension'
https://www.libraryextension.com/
It's a small addon for Chrome or Firefox that automatically searches your local library catalogue when you are browsing Goodreads, Amazon, etc. and lets you know if the book is available - right there on the same page.

You don't need an account and it's simple to set up (under a minute). For those of you with library accounts in several areas, you can configure it to show multiple libraries. It's so incredibly convenient if you're an ebook user. And... ya know... FREE BOOKS :)

Can't believe I didn't hear about this already! Apologies if it's been posted here before.

[Ed]

I've tried it and it doesn't work very well for me. It is totally based on book title and lots of books have similar titles. It may work better for you, so give it a try.

I also worry that this could overwhelm library databases with more queries than they can handle.

[Sarah]

Yeah unfortunately it's not perfect, but in the case of similar titles it shows too much rather than too little by design.

Mine only shows ebooks rather than physical copies, so it has limited use for me, but I know it will be ideal for others (especially serial ebook buyers... we have a few of those ;) )

[Allan]

Thank you, even though it's not that useful for me, I'm sure others will find it so. In my case, I've gone through the entire list and sourced everything I haven't read, i.e. physical owned copy, e-book, library, pdf (in my spreadsheet). So I already know where to find it when I pick something. Pretty anal but it makes things easy.

[Sarah]

Allan wrote: "In my case, I've gone through the entire list and sourced everything I haven't read, i.e. physical owned copy, e-book, library, pdf"

Haha, I actually thought about doing the same, but at the rate I'm getting through the list it'll be at least 20 years, and I think the library will have changed its stock by then! :) Although you never know... I do find some old things in my library quite frequently.