Thousands of new e-books available through the Atlanta Public Library

The Atlanta Public Library recently joined the E-Read Texas program. E-Read Texas is an online program offered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission that makes electronic books freely available through the SimplyE app, which is easily downloadable at no cost through an app store. The program was created in 2019 to support digital content for libraries serving communities with populations under 100,000. There are currently over 160 public libraries from all over the state participating in the program.

According to library director Kendra Harrell, “The E-Read Texas program strengthens our existing e-book selection for no added cost to the library, and it connects rural populations around Texas with a common ‘bookshelf.’ We are so grateful to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for providing this program.”

With more than 10,000 e-books available through E-Read Texas, the collection includes popular fiction and non-fiction, as well as a collection of more than 600 books for children grades K through 8. The collection also features a library of Texas-related works published by Texas university presses, such as Texas A&M University Press and the University of Texas Press. With more than 1,700 titles, this collection focuses on Texas history, geography, nature, and many other topics.

In addition to the 10,000 e-books in the E-Read Texas collection, the SimplyE app also includes over 35,000 e-books and audiobooks through the North East Texas Libraries Digital Consortium on Overdrive. These titles are purchased by consortium members and available to patrons of consortium libraries. The app also includes over 10,000 more public domain titles from the Palace Bookshelf, which can be downloaded and kept for free through the app. This brings the total number of titles available to Atlanta Public Library patrons on the SimplyE app to over 55,000.

For more information about how to get started with E-Read Texas and the SimplyE app, please contact the library at 903-796- 2112, or email library@atlantatexas.org. For more information about the E-Read Texas program, see E-Read Texas | TSLAC (https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ldn/ebooks).