On March 4, the Spicewood Community Library's "virtual branch" website went live to offer patrons free access to digital resources including audiobooks and e-books. The library joined the Central Texas Digital Consortium, a subscription service which helped 35 Central Texas libraries find an affordable way to provide digital books for its members. CTDC partners include the Bee Cave Public Library, Lake Travis Community Library and the Westbank Community Library.

In order to check out an e-book or audiobook, a user must have a Spicewood Community Library card and be a resident of either Horseshoe Bay, Marble Falls or Spicewood, said Jim Lamar, president of Friends of the Spicewood Community Library Inc. Additionally, Lamar said that users would need to be current on fines and have good contact information on file with the library. Prospective users who reside outside of the area can pay a fee to join Friends of the Spicewood Community Library to access the lending site.

The website is powered by OverDrive, a global distributor of digital e-books and audiobooks, and users need only have a mobile device such as an iPad or e-reader such as a Kindle, Lamar said. First-time users will need to download the OverDrive Media Console at www.overdrive.com/software/omc for either Mac or Windows or a free application at an Apple store for an iPad. A patron can check out up to two titles at once by moving his or her selection into a virtual shopping cart.

The site eliminates the need for any late fees or lost book fines because the virtual books simply disappear from the user's account at the end of the 14-day checkout period.

"There's a big demand for [e-book checkout]," Lamar said. "As product sales for iPads [and] Kindles rise, the demand for digital materials rises."