By BRAD GASKINS / Staff Writer

Shelby County Library patrons can now use their library cards to download audio and e-books to digital devices.

The service became available in November and currently has about 3,000 titles available for download, according to Kim Roberts, assistant director of Harrison Regional Library.

To date, about 1,000 titles have been downloaded, Roberts said.

“I’ve had several people call in and say how much they really enjoy the service,” Roberts said Feb. 14. “People who like it, they really like it. The people who know that it’s out there are really excited.”

For those who aren’t familiar with the service, all you need to use it is your library card and a computer, e-reader, iPod, MP3 player or an iPhone or smart phone.

You can access bestsellers and classic audio books, e-books and music without late fees via the library’s website at shelbycounty-al.org.

After downloading the material, patrons can access it through their computer for two weeks, Roberts said. Once the material is transferred to an MP3 player or e-reader, patrons have access to the material until they decide to delete it.

“It’s kind of an honor system for copyright purposes,” said Roberts, adding that people would want to delete the material afterwards to make room for new material.

The service is powered by Overdrive and is made available through Camellia Net, a statewide online consortia of libraries.

The service is compatible with Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Nook Color, Sony Reader, iPod and iPad as well as several Android devices. It is not compatible with Amazon’s Kindle.