PRO TIP: The Queens Library in New York will let anybody anywhere in the world get an e-library card, which you can then use to check out books directly to your device (including Kindles.)
Getting a Queens Library card was probably my single best financial decision in 2022.
EDITED TO ADD: It costs $50.
EDITED AGAIN: You may need to set up an account on Amazon.com for kindle reading.
I should mention: for those of us outside New York, the card costs US$50. That's an insanely good value-- I read more than $50 worth of books in my first month of membership.
Also, your money goes to support a fantastic library that (among many other cool things) stands up for LGBTQ+ rights.
https://gothamist.com/news/drag-story-hour-protest-draws-passionate-crowds-outside-queens-library
@BadExampleMan There are cases in life where you can make a moral argument for cheating the system-- but with respect, cheating a public library is awfully hard to justify.
(I'm assuming it's a moot point because most libraries do ask for some sort of proof of residency. I'm not sure how Queens handles it because I went the non-resident route.)
[1/3] You've raised a great question. The answer is kind of complicated.
You do NOT have to be a resident of Queens (or even the USA) to get the $50 Queens Library E-card.
Once you have that card, you can view books several ways-- on your phone (via the libby app), on your computer (via a web browser), or on your kindle.
I believe you can use the browser or the app wherever you are in the world. But...
@plaindocs @ErynMcConnell
[2/3]
...to send books to your Kindle, I think you need an account with amazon.com (as opposed to a non-US Amazon.)
But you don't have to be a US resident to get a US Amazon account. And you don't have to make this US Amazon account your primary account; you just have to create it with the same email address you use for whichever foreign version of Amazon your kindle is registered to. Amazon will then automatically link the accounts...
> And you don't have to make this US Amazon account your primary account; you just have to create it with the same email address you use for whichever foreign version of Amazon your kindle is registered to.
I don't think this will work. The accounts will be associated, but the kindle is registered to one country. So you'd need a separate kindle *I think*, I've not tested this.
@plaindocs @ErynMcConnell At least in my personal experience, it works fine. My Kindle is registered to the UK, and my primary address with Amazon is a UK address. This causes me problems when I'm trying to buy an American TV show like Survivor.
But I'm able to send library ebooks from Queens, NY, to my kindle through Amazon.com without any problem.
That said, digital property rights is such a confusing and contradictory thing, I don't want to make promises for anybody else's situation!
@datadivajf No, sorry! I've edited my original post now to make that clear.
It's $50, but if you have the $50 to spare, it's well worth it. I read $50 worth of books in my first month of membership.
@Kayray They have an excellent catalogue. I haven't been able to get every single book I want to read but I've been able to get the majority of books I've sought.
They do indeed support Libby, and they do indeed offer audiobooks. (Although I haven't tested the audiobooks myself.)
@CatEyeJayne Correct! I live in London.
But note that non-residents like me have to pay $50 for the card. I didn't have that info in my original post; I edited it to add it in; and apparently the edit doesn't propogate to servers that don't allow editing.
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