South Ayrshire Council launches 'ebooks' service

The titles can be accessed by devices such as an ebook reader

Council-run libraries in South Ayrshire have become the first in the country to offer a free downloadable "ebooks" service.

The initiative allows members 24-hour access to about 200 full text electronic versions of published titles or audio books over the internet.

They can then be read or listened to on a computer, mobile phone, ebook reader, MP3 player or be burned to CD.

Up to four titles can be borrowed at once from the libraries' website.

South Ayrshire Council is providing the service in conjunction with the ebooks distributor, OverDrive.

Users need a computer, an internet connection, a valid library card and a personal identification number.

The available ebooks cover adult, children, fiction and non-fiction titles and include authors such as Kathy Reichs, Roald Dahl, Sophie Kinsella, and Man Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel.

The list also includes autobiographies by the likes of Barack Obama, Frankie Boyle, Peter Kay, Andy Murray and Sir Chris Hoy.