There’s plenty of reasons to dive into a good book. Consistently reading can boost your vocabulary, reduce stress and even improve your chances of success. But constantly buying new books (especially when online shopping) quickly adds up. One way to indulge your desire to consume stacks of good books is to patronize your local public library. A free browser extension helps you to easily discover if a book you want to read is available to borrow.
Library Extension is a web browser plug-in for Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge browsers. When you install it, it will ask you what libraries you get books from. The add-on currently supports more than 5,000 libraries worldwide, with more locations being added. The search feature helps, meanwhile, assists in find if your library is included.
After you install and set up the extension, the extension runs quietly in the background while you browse the web.
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Dozens of top retailers are supported by default — including Amazon, Audible, Barnes and Noble and Goodreads, just to name a few. When you visit a book listing at one of the supported sites, a notification will appear to inform you whether any copies (and how many) are available at your library. You can also check out the number of holds on the book, which comes in handy for more popular titles.
If your library supports it, you can even click a button to log in to your library account online and place a hold on a physical book (or, download an eBook or audiobook right away using services such as Hoopla or OverDrive, all at no charge).
If you opt to check out a physical copy of one or more books, take some time to browse around and talk to the librarian. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn about some of the awesome items and resources your library has to offer besides books.
This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money.
