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Californians now have access to 300,000 eBooks through California State Library

If you’re a Californian with an email address, you now have access to a whole new virtual bookshelf of 300,000 eBooks and audiobooks thanks to the California State Library.

The project, California’s Bookshelf, can be accessed via The Palace Project app. Patrons have access to 70,000 unique titles in 20 languages across many genres, including young adult fiction and nonfiction and children’s books ranging from picture books to chapter books. There are 3,500 titles with no wait times.

“With just a few clicks, any Californian can go and grab what they’re looking for on California’s Bookshelf. Trust me, we’ve tried to make something for every reader,” said California State Librarian Greg Lucas, in a statement.

Previously, only Californians who already had access to a library card from a local library had access to California’s Bookshelf.

Here are the steps to access California’s Bookshelf (and here’s a video to explain it):

1. Download the free Palace app on your iOS or Android device.
2. Inside the app, use the “find my library” search function to find “California’s Bookshelf.”
3. Browse the collection until you find a title you would like to read then either “get” or “reserve” that book.
4. Choose the option to create a virtual card and then complete the details in the form. You will need to enable the app’s permission to use your specific location, just one time, for the creation of your library card.
5. Look in your email for your library card number. You can borrow items using that number and your new password.