Library offering free audiobooks and ebooks on smartphones

SHELLEY — Northern Bingham County locals can check out audio and ebooks for free from the North Bingham County District Library and read or listen to them right on their phones.

The North Bingham County District Library, located at 197 W. Locust in Shelley, switched to a new online service that lets anyone with a North Bingham County District Library card check out audio and ebooks right to their phones for free. The service is called Libby.

Library card holders can install Libby as a smartphone app or use it in their internet browser. The application, created by OverDrive, is free and is available for Apple and Android devices.

Anyone who doesn’t have a library card can call the North Bingham County District Library at 208-357-7801 to set up an appointment.

The card is free for residents living within the North Bingham County Library District. Residents outside of the district can still get a library card. It just costs $25 a year. However, they may want to check if their local library offers the same or similar service.

Allowing locals to check out and read or listen to audio and ebooks through a smartphone isn’t new for the North Bingham County District Library.

“It used to be One Click Digital,” library assistant Andie Siems told Community Pioneer. “Then OverDrive bought out One Click Digital. So now it’s Libby.”

Be sure to visit northbingham.lili.org to find out what else the library has to offer.