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Tech

This E-Reader App Gives You Instant Access to Your Public Library's Collection

Aldiko also offers quick downloads of thousands of books in the public domain.
Rachel Pick
New York, US

One of Android's most popular apps has finally become available for iPhone users. Called Aldiko, the e-reading app not only provides a comfortable phone-reading experience, but provides access to thousands of public domain e-books and allows you to search the electronic collections of local public libraries.

On Aldiko, you can import your own EPUB or PDF files, so you can add books you've bought elsewhere to your e-bookshelf so long as they're in those file formats. (Aldiko is also compatible with Adobe DRM, but of course cannot import e-books for Kindle, as Kindle uses a proprietary technology.) And once you've found your nearby library, you can put in your membership info and borrow e-books without even leaving the app. The app thought I was in Connecticut at first, but I pointed it towards the Brooklyn Public Library, and voilà.

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But the feature I found most exciting was the instant access to all the public domain e-books. Since the app itself is free, this is a ton of free entertainment, culture, and knowledge available almost instantaneously.

As you can imagine, most of the public domain selection is comprised of well-known classics—books that, if you were an English major or a nerd like me, you've already read or are familiar with. But the selection is broad, including everything from The Great Gatsby to The Call of Cthulhu and The Kama Sutra. I chose a couple of personal favorites from what was on offer: Virginia Woolf's Orlando, Madame Bovary, and The Metamorphosis.

I'll be honest: after getting my B.A. in English, I went on to work in publishing and audiobooks after I graduated. So I've had to read a lot of books for work and school, which sort of dimmed my passion for extracurricular reading, and now I rarely have time to read the way I used to. But considering how I navigate the world with my iPhone practically grafted to my hand, who's to say I can't fit in a chapter or two in life's inevitable downtimes (waiting rooms, subway rides, standing in line)?

The downloads of the books took only a few seconds, and the reading experience was attractive and without hiccups. It's easy to adjust font size, margins, and brightness; as well as highlighting passages and searching the text.

I do own a Nook, so until now I haven't considered reading off of my iPhone, even though it's a growing trend. I hope Aldiko will get me back into the swing of reading for pleasure. I already feel like it will.