Perhaps one of the greatest inventions in applications and mobile technology for the bibliophile is the advent of the digital library. No longer do lovers of books have to lug around cumbersome tomes of texts, fearing the ill effects of tears, awkwardly grooved spines, bent pages, and the dreadful fraying and subsequent curling of pages. And with digital texts, readers can hoard thousands of books without the woe of having to neurotically tend to them. Not only can digital book readers bookmark, annotate, and highlight passages of texts without destroying the quality of digital works, they can also easily reevaluate notes without glaring scratch-outs. What’s more, electronic publishers are introducing a wide range of classics, and many libraries are releasing digital versions of both new and old works. With the push to digitize and archive cultural works by non-profit organizations like Project Gutenberg, the incentive to build digital libraries is on the rise, and tech companies are developing tools to meet the needs of the new reader in the electronic age. So what are some of the best technologies out there for the book junkie? Here are the top five digital libraries for literary aficionados.
1. Free Books
Due to expired copyright laws, thousands of critically-acclaimed literary works are available for free public distribution and archiving, which has led to a surge in classic library applications like Free Books. Free Books features a seamless layout; easily transitioning users from texts to menus in a highly stylized digital library/notebook motif and allows users to bookmark, highlight, and annotate text. Free Books displays textual categories and authors including Best of, Modern Books, Adventure, Dante, Aristotle, Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Fitzgerald, and dozens more. Users must pay an additional fee for access to audiobooks.
2. Shakespeare
Those who yearn for an intimate glimpse at the Bard’s plays and poems need to look no further than Shakespeare–an application that offers an impressive presentation of the Bard’s complete published works. The layout of the application is beautiful in its design and provides enough content for long nights of reading. Shakespeare also contains an extensive glossary, supplementary information on Shakespeare’s life, and famous portraits associated with Shakespeare’s plays. Users can also manipulate text and background colors, in addition to font size, for more accessible reading.
3. 301+ Short Stories
If you enjoy classic, short tales, then 301+ Short Stories is a must download for your mobile device. With over 300 short stories, this app is categorized by author and includes works by Ambrose Bierce, Chekhov, Dickens, Freeman, Hawthorne, and Victor Hugo. The basic layout of 301+ Short Stories is easy to use as users simply scroll through a neatly collected list of authors and short stories.
4. Scribd
Self-touted as “The World’s Digital Library,” Scribd boasts an impressive collection of current literary gems. With over 100,000 books from more than 900 publishers, Scribd features literary classics, New York Times bestsellers, and reader favorites for each genre. A unique feature of Scribd is that it offers the option to share user-created documents, such as academic and white papers and significant court filings to its extensive readership. Although Scribd offers some of its content for free, access to its full listing of titles is $8.99 per month.
5. OverDrive Media Console
For users that prefer a localized approach for their digitized library needs, OverDrive functions as an extension for local libraries by making texts once only available in print at the library accessible to readers at any time, anywhere. Books are returned automatically, so users never incur late fees. A valid library account is required to run OverDrive, and users must contact their local library to request new titles for OverDrive. In addition, by contacting libraries unregistered with OverDrive, readers are in the unique position to influence the national digitization of content for public distribution.
Library applications are expanding their reach in acquiring user-generated content for dissemination, providing poets and short story writers with a vehicle to introduce their works to the masses. With these applications and other digital self-publishing platforms like Appoet, authors can connect and share their work instantly with readers. As the future for the written verse, digital libraries allow readers greater access to literature, provide a new platform for budding writers, and could even help struggling libraries stay afloat.
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