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This browser extension reveals Amazon books available free at your local library

Available for Chrome and Firefox, the insanely great Library Extension saves you time and money.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
library-extension-city-of-thieves

Good news! I can borrow this book (or audiobook) from the library instead of buying it. (This particular book, though: worth owning.)

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Wait! Stop! Before you order that copy of David Benioff's City of Thieves from Amazon (a book I highly recommend), check to see if it's available at your local library. Because free! Oh, I know what you're saying: You don't have time to visit your library's website or check various ebook-borrowing apps (as described in how to get free ebooks from your public library).

Read more: The best e-reader for 2020

Good news: No extra time required. Library Extension immediately shows you if any given book is available (in print, digital or audiobook form) at your local library. It's available for the desktop versions of Chrome and Firefox.

Once it's installed, you activate the extension by selecting your library and any available ebook services. At my library, for example, the extension was able to connect with not only the regular catalog, but also Hoopla and OverDrive. You can add multiple libraries if you wish, a good idea if your library is part of a network.

From there, anytime you browse at an online bookstore like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads or even Audible, Library Extension will appear with library availability information for any selected book.

Better still, one click is all it takes to visit the associated library or ebook service page, where you can then borrow the book or get on the waiting list.

This is a fantastic tool, one of my favorites. If you love saving money just as much as you love to read, this is definitely a tool worth having.

Watch this: How to check out digital library books

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