e-book

Maximize Your Reading: How to Get Library Cards from Every DC Area County

/ Local DC area, Shopping

Living in the DC metropolitan area comes with an amazing perk that many people don’t know about: most library systems in the Washington region allow residents of other jurisdictions to get a library card without paying a non-resident fee through reciprocal agreements. This means you can collect library cards from multiple counties and dramatically expand your access to books, especially through digital platforms like Libby!

Arlington Central Library

Complete List of Participating DC Area Library Systems

Here are all the jurisdictions where you can get a free library card if you live anywhere in the participating reciprocal network:

District of Columbia

  • Washington, DC

Maryland

  • Montgomery County
  • Prince George’s County
  • Frederick County

Virginia Counties and Cities

  • Arlington County
  • Fairfax County
  • Loudoun County
  • Prince William County
  • Fauquier County
  • Alexandria
  • Falls Church
  • Manassas and Manassas Park

Why Collect Multiple Library Cards?

Having multiple library cards gives you access to:

  1. Larger Digital Collections: Each library system has its own collection of ebooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines on Libby/OverDrive
  2. Shorter Wait Times: Popular books might have long wait lists at one library but be immediately available at another
  3. Unique Titles: Some books are only available in certain library systems
  4. Multiple Holds: You can place holds on the same popular book at multiple libraries to get it faster

How to Use This System

  1. Get Your Cards: Visit any library location in these jurisdictions with a photo ID and proof of address from any participating area
  2. Download Libby: The Libby app lets you manage all your library cards in one place
  3. Add All Your Cards: In Libby, you can add library cards from multiple systems
  4. Search and Reserve: When you want a book, search across all your libraries to find the shortest wait time
  5. Read Anywhere: Use Libby on your phone/tablet, or transfer books to your Kobo ereader, Kindle, or other devices

The Historical Background

The reciprocal agreement between Prince George’s, Montgomery, Fairfax, and Prince William Counties dates back to 1969 and the City of Falls Church was added in 1973. In 1977, the Council of Governments passed a resolution recommending reciprocal library card agreements between all member jurisdictions.

Pro Tips

  • Maryland Residents Get Extra Benefits: All Maryland residents are eligible for free library cards from the library systems of each of the state’s twenty-three counties and Baltimore City
  • Keep Cards Current: Most library cards expire every 3 years and must be renewed in person
  • Check Online First: Many systems now allow you to apply for a digital card online, then upgrade to full privileges when you visit in person

This system essentially gives you access to one of the largest library networks in the country, all for free! Whether you’re a voracious reader, researcher, or just want access to the latest bestsellers without the wait, collecting DC area library cards is definitely worth the effort.

Kindle 2 Announced

/ Computer Hardware, Electronics, Internet, Mobile

The long awaited Kindle 2 by Amazon was finally announced today.  It was just as the rumors predicted in appearance.  It has several desired improvements but a few shortcomings as well.

Shape and Size

The Kindle 2 is more attractive than the original.  The new thinner design is impressive.  The tradeoff is that the device now has a bigger footprint.  In some cases the original Kindle would fit in your purse, the Kindle 2 may not.  But the same is true for the thickness giving the Kindle 2 an advantage.  With its new thinness, the Kindle 2 can probably fit more easily into some thin pockets in a bag.  Overall, the new shape is an improvement.

Battery Life

The Kindle 2 has 25% more battery life than its predecessor.  The original Kindle had a very impressive battery life already. It is a good idea to turn off your wifi when you aren’t downloading a new book to get longer battery life.  Under typical use of a heavy reader, the original Kindle would last a good week with wifi off.  More battery life is always a welcome improvement to any gadget though.

Page Turning

The page turning buttons have been redesigned.  One of the biggest complaints about the original was how easy it was to unintentionally turn a page.  The Kindle 2 buttons are smaller so they are not as easy to hit accidentally.  Another welcome improvement is pages now turn 20% faster.  The first Kindle wasn’t exactly slow at page turning but you were often left wishing the page would render just a little faster and now the Kindle 2 does.

Storage

Amazon claims “more storage” in the Kindle 2.  This is a bit inaccurate since it really just has more built-in storage.  The original Kindle had an SD card slot for extra storage which means it could hold more if you used that slot.  The Kindle 2 does have more built-in storage but has removed the SD card slot so you are stuck with just the internal memory.  That isn’t a big problem since the internal storage can hold 1,500 books now.  And if you fill it up, you can delete books but still own them.  At any point, you can have a book re-downloaded to your Kindle.  The SD card slot was probably removed to help allow the device to be thinner.  While this is technically a lost feature, it is an acceptable tradeoff for the new thinness.

Screen

The new screen is very similar to the original except that it now has 16 shades of gray.  This allows pictures to look much better.  If you just read books, this is almost pointless.  But if you read newspapers on your Kindle, this will greatly improve your reading experience.

Book Cover

The original Kindle included a leather book cover.  Unfortunately, now this is a $29.99 accessory for the Kindle 2.  To protect your expensive Kindle 2, you have to buy the book cover which makes the Kindle 2 more expensive than its predecessor.

Conclusion

Most of the changes are positive.  Overall the new Kindle isn’t a huge jump over the original, it is more of several small design improvements.  This is a device any avid reader should definitely have.  For a full description of it, check out the Amazon Kindle 2 page.

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