Books are treasures. Regular reading can boost your vocabulary, reduce stress and even improve your chances of success. But constantly buying new books can put a dent in your budget. One way to indulge your desire to consume stacks of good books is to patronize your local public library. And with a free browser extension, you can easily discover if a book you want to read is available to borrow.
Library Extension is a web browser plug-in for Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge. When you install it, it will ask you what libraries you get books from. The add-in currently supports more than 5,000 libraries worldwide, with more added all the time. You can use the search feature to find out if any libraries you use are included.
After you install and set up the extension, entering your chosen libraries and choosing any other options, the extension will run in the background while you browse the web.
By default, dozens of sites are supported, such as Amazon, Audible, Barnes and Noble and Goodreads, just to name a few. When you visit a book listing at one of the supported sites, a notification will appear to inform you whether any copies are available at your library.
That notification shows which of your chosen libraries have copies of the book. It will also show you the number of copies and formats available. If your library allows you to do so, you can click the appropriate button, log in to your library account online and place a hold on a physical book or download an eBook or audiobook right away using services such as Hoopla or OverDrive, all at no charge.
If you opt to check out a physical copy of one or more books, take some time to browse around and talk to the librarian. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn about some of the awesome items and resources your library has to offer besides books.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
