Jefferson County Library to offer free e-books in 2019

The Jefferson County library in Jackson, Mississippi, is set to offer a free online version of its e-book collection this fall.

The Jefferson County Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to make the program available to libraries across the state.

The library, which has been serving low-income residents for more than two decades, is offering the digital version of the library’s collection, which includes more than 30,000 books, magazines and periodicals, for $7.99 per month or $49.99 annually.

The Library of Congress will also make the digital library available to library patrons starting Oct. 31, 2019.

The Library of America has also made e-reading available through its website for $5.99 a month or about $60 a year.

The program is available for library members who do not currently have access to the library library’s online catalog, but it is not required to be a member.

The libraries are expected to offer e-readers to the public through a variety of different channels, including video and print, as well as digital downloads of existing titles.

Library board members have also been working on a digital subscription model, which will allow the library to offer online access to its digital collection.

“I think that this is something that people have wanted for quite some time,” Jefferson County School Superintendent Scott Troup told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

“We are just in the early stages of that.”

“We have been looking at ways that we can offer this service,” he added.

“It has to be the right thing to do.”

“This is an exciting opportunity for the Jefferson County Public Library to help the community in a way that they haven’t done before,” Jackson City Councilwoman Jody Smith told the paper.

“It is a wonderful way for people to come into the library, take their books and read them online and that’s the best part about it,” Troup said.