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How to get free library books on your Kindle

Amazon announced today that users can now check out e-books from their local libraries for wireless downloading to their Kindle devices.

Sharon Profis Vice President of Content, CNET Studios
As the Vice President of CNET Studios, Sharon leads the video, social, editorial design, and branded content teams. Before this role, Sharon led content development and launched new verticals for CNET, including Wellness, Money, and How To. A tech expert herself, she's reviewed and covered countless products, hosted hundreds of videos, and appeared on shows like Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, and the Today Show. An industry expert, Sharon is a recurring Best of Beauty Awards judge for Allure. Sharon is an avid chef and hosts the cooking segment 'Farm to Fork' on PBS nationwide. She's developed and published hundreds of recipes.
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Sharon Profis

Amazon

Kindle users looking to save money on their book-reading habits will enjoy Amazon's latest perk, which allows you to borrow books from your local library and wirelessly download them to your Kindle device.

Users have been able to do this for some time using the Overdrive Media Console, but today's announcement brings branded Kindle integration with your local library.

The update cuts out the time-consuming process of downloading and transferring borrowed e-books manually.

Around 11,000 libraries in the U.S. are participating in the program, and you can start borrowing the books immediately. Just remember that like physical books, libraries have a limited number of copies they can check out, so you will likely be wait-listed for popular titles.

Here's how to check out a free e-book from your local library:

  • Grab your library card and head to your local library's Web site. Each library's site will differ, but if there's a dedicated e-book section on yours, go there.

  • Find the book you want to check out, and add the Kindle book to your cart. If you don't see the option for Kindle available, you can still get the e-book on your device using these instructions.

  • Once the check-out process is complete, you'll be redirected to your Amazon.com account to finish. Choose to read the book on your Kindle, then connect your device to Wi-Fi to download it.

For more ways to get free e-books on your Kindle, check out this blog post.