Free Library access to Magazines and Newspapers

[4railsman]

Provided you are already a member of your local library and hold a membership card, you can get access to a vast range of magazines to view on line. These cover a host of popular categories like gardening, photography, crafts and hobbies, transport,etc but importantly it's not only the latest issue that is available but back numbers too!

 

Unfortunately not all magazines are available from this source (eg BRM) so do check out another source, RBDigital which is only available by linking through from your own libraries website. That is a much smaller offering but does have a few titles that are not available on the Pressreader website. For Railway magazines, click on the AUTOMOTIVE tab (yes, really!) and you will find ModelRail, RAIL Magazine, Steam Railway and RAIL Express but none from the Warners stable e.g. BRM.

 

If you are with East Sussex Libraries, the best option is to use the PRESSREADER facility to get free 30-day access to their 7000+ magazines/newspapers.

Here is what you need to do:-

1) Go to https://www.pressreader.com/catalog

2) click the Sign In (top right) This will open the Welcome to Press Reader pop-up. CLICK on the "Library or Group" tab which will bring up a drop-down list of all the libraries taking part.

3) Enter "East Sussex" (OR the name of the local authority library you belong to). This will locate your library. Click on the library name and a new pop-up opens where you are required in insert your LIBRARY CARD number. Proceed and you will be taken to the East Sussex area with 30-days free access (renewable) where you select the publications you are interested in from a list on the left side of the website.

4) Look at all the categories and click on any of interest. This will then load the cover page of all the titles in that category. Clicking on a title will open up that publication for you to read. At the bottom of the page is an index of the main features within the publication which can be clicked to take you straight there.

 

In my view, the best way to view the magazines would be on a large (24"+) desktop monitor or a decent sized laptop rather that a mobile phone.

 

So, all in all a fantastic way to continue to read any magazine of interest without having to go to the newsagents to browse the latest issues.

I won't mention how long I have spent on the website reading some of these magazines, so how I will find time after the lock-down ends is anyones guess right now!

Enjoy

4railsman

[Phil Parker]

8 minutes ago, 4railsman said:

So, all in all a fantastic way to continue to read any magazine of interest

 

Until they go bust because no-one is buying them. Would you work for free? 

 

There is a good reason that many magazines aren't on things like Readly, it's because a magazine costs money to produce, so you need to generate income - and no, it can't all come from advertising. The Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling proved that. 

 

Much as I love libraries, and understand why people like free stuff, it's a fact of life that if people don't buy magazines, ideally on subscription, then they will simply disappear. Many already have, and more will follow them. 

[AY Mod]

5 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

Would you work for free? 

 

Don't ask me that today. 

[Guest Half-full]

44 minutes ago, 4railsman said:

Provided you are already a member of your local library and hold a membership card, you can get access to a vast range of magazines to view on line. These cover a host of popular categories like gardening, photography, crafts and hobbies, transport,etc but importantly it's not only the latest issue that is available but back numbers too!

 

Unfortunately not all magazines are available from this source (eg BRM) so do check out another source, RBDigital which is only available by linking through from your own libraries website. That is a much smaller offering but does have a few titles that are not available on the Pressreader website. For Railway magazines, click on the AUTOMOTIVE tab (yes, really!) and you will find ModelRail, RAIL Magazine, Steam Railway and RAIL Express but none from the Warners stable e.g. BRM.

 

If you are with East Sussex Libraries, the best option is to use the PRESSREADER facility to get free 30-day access to their 7000+ magazines/newspapers.

Here is what you need to do:-

1) Go to https://www.pressreader.com/catalog

2) click the Sign In (top right) This will open the Welcome to Press Reader pop-up. CLICK on the "Library or Group" tab which will bring up a drop-down list of all the libraries taking part.

3) Enter "East Sussex" (OR the name of the local authority library you belong to). This will locate your library. Click on the library name and a new pop-up opens where you are required in insert your LIBRARY CARD number. Proceed and you will be taken to the East Sussex area with 30-days free access (renewable) where you select the publications you are interested in from a list on the left side of the website.

4) Look at all the categories and click on any of interest. This will then load the cover page of all the titles in that category. Clicking on a title will open up that publication for you to read. At the bottom of the page is an index of the main features within the publication which can be clicked to take you straight there.

 

In my view, the best way to view the magazines would be on a large (24"+) desktop monitor or a decent sized laptop rather that a mobile phone.

 

So, all in all a fantastic way to continue to read any magazine of interest without having to go to the newsagents to browse the latest issues.

I won't mention how long I have spent on the website reading some of these magazines, so how I will find time after the lock-down ends is anyones guess right now!

Enjoy

4railsman

The best way to view a magazine is to actually buy it in the first place

[4railsman]

30 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

Much as I love libraries, and understand why people like free stuff,

 

Libraries have to buy their books and presumably also have to pay for access to Pressreader.com for their members to be able to access, so no free lunch there. The benefit to the newspaper and magazine publishers must be that this provides a wider circulation for their titles that they would otherwise not get. For hobbies like model railways, it could also bring new people into the hobby that would otherwise not occur, so that's no bad thing.

 

4railsman

[Phil Parker]

4 minutes ago, 4railsman said:

Libraries have to buy their books and presumably also have to pay for access to Pressreader.com for their members to be able to access, so no free lunch there. The benefit to the newspaper and magazine publishers must be that this provides a wider circulation for their titles that they would otherwise not get. For hobbies like model railways, it could also bring new people into the hobby that would otherwise not occur, so that's no bad thing.

 

A single book will sit on the shelf for several years and those lending fees generated every time it goes out will be a tiny, but continuing source of income for the publisher. They would still rather you bought a copy though!

 

The magazine, because it is never leant out, generates no lending fees so the only income is from the initial sale - often much less than 50p after all the distribution costs are taken out. 

 

A wider circulation of people who don't pay for your product is no benefit. Try turning up at Tesco and saying "I've got no money but I've had loads of exposure" at the checkout and see how far that gets you. If you'd like to find out how popular the idea of working for "exposure" is, visit the very funny Clients from hell website. Maybe one or two will decide they like a publication so much they will buy it, but the truth is that most will be happy to have it for free and see no reason to bother. If it goes bust, they will shrug their shoulders and move on. 

 

I have no idea what your job is, assuming you have one, but imagine your boss decides that your job is mostly promoting the firm. And you aren't going to get paid for it - basically what you are asking for when you suggest that the mags should mostly be looking to bring new people into the hobby. We already provide an awful lot of free stuff, RMweb for example and this weekend's Virtual Show. At some point, money has to be earned to pay for it all though. 

[Guest Half-full]

38 minutes ago, 4railsman said:

 

Libraries have to buy their books and presumably also have to pay for access to Pressreader.com for their members to be able to access, so no free lunch there. The benefit to the newspaper and magazine publishers must be that this provides a wider circulation for their titles that they would otherwise not get. For hobbies like model railways, it could also bring new people into the hobby that would otherwise not occur, so that's no bad thing.

 

4railsman

Only 1 digital copy needs to be bought.  If 1000 people read that, how does that have a benefit to the publishers, over 1000 people buying the physical, or digital, magazine?

 

It can bring new people into the hobby, who will realise that they can get their magazines for free online.  Again, no benefit to the publishers

 

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Half-full

[AY Mod]

25 minutes ago, 4railsman said:

The benefit to the newspaper and magazine publishers must be that this provides a wider circulation for their titles that they would otherwise not get.

 

Hopefully you lend all your models to your mates when they need them so they don't need to buy any. Maybe your mates let you borrow theirs too so you don't have to buy one?

[Markwj]

When I have completed courses in the past and looked for research for essays I have had access to journals online but none available for the current year. I don’t know what the arrangement with libraries is but is the publisher of the magazine able to say you can have access but only up to say a year ago?

[Jim Martin]

6 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

A single book will sit on the shelf for several years and those lending fees generated every time it goes out will be a tiny, but continuing source of income for the publisher. They would still rather you bought a copy though!

 

The magazine, because it is never leant out, generates no lending fees so the only income is from the initial sale - often much less than 50p after all the distribution costs are taken out. 

 

A wider circulation of people who don't pay for your product is no benefit. Try turning up at Tesco and saying "I've got no money but I've had loads of exposure" at the checkout and see how far that gets you. If you'd like to find out how popular the idea of working for "exposure" is, visit the very funny Clients from hell website. Maybe one or two will decide they like a publication so much they will buy it, but the truth is that most will be happy to have it for free and see no reason to bother. If it goes bust, they will shrug their shoulders and move on. 

 

I have no idea what your job is, assuming you have one, but imagine your boss decides that your job is mostly promoting the firm. And you aren't going to get paid for it - basically what you are asking for when you suggest that the mags should mostly be looking to bring new people into the hobby. We already provide an awful lot of free stuff, RMweb for example and this weekend's Virtual Show. At some point, money has to be earned to pay for it all though. 

 

6 hours ago, AY Mod said:

 

Hopefully you lend all your models to your mates when they need them so they don't need to buy any. Maybe your mates let you borrow theirs too so you don't have to buy one?

 

Frankly, these just seem like arguments against libraries in general.

 

Pressreader isn't some sort of shadowy peer-to-peer piracy operation like Napster. It's a company that manages digital distribution for some of the world's largest media companies (e.g. the New York Times, Condé Nast). Publishers are free to work with them or not. Presumably, the ones that do think it's worth their while.

 

Jim

[AY Mod]

2 minutes ago, Jim Martin said:

Frankly, these just seem like arguments against libraries in general.

 

Not at all, they are fine institutions dating back to Victorian civil provision and  pride. Crowing that you've got something for nothing isn't in the spirit of benevolence. Had the information been prefaced with a statement that due to circumstances it was a means of having access to facilities then the context would be different.

 

It's like the whole internet is free isn't it?

[Jim Martin]

18 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

Not at all, they are fine institutions dating back to Victorian civil provision and  pride. Crowing that you've got something for nothing isn't in the spirit of benevolence. Had the information been prefaced with a statement that due to circumstances it was a means of having access to facilities then the context would be different.

 

It's a service offered by many public (and, indeed, academic) libraries. A service that many people, who perhaps see libraries as a simple "borrow book, return book" operation, may not be aware of. A service that publishers participate in voluntarily. Pointing out that it exists is no more "crowing" than observing that you saved £9.99, or whatever, because you borrowed a particular book from the same library, rather than buying a copy.

 

Jim

[Jim Martin]

27 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

It's like the whole internet is free isn't it?

 

Yes, because that's exactly what I said. Oh, wait...

[Oldddudders]

When I was an impoverished teenage skoolboy, I did indeed nip into the local library on the way home, and read Railway Magazine. It enabled me to keep up with some of what was going on in the industry I already knew I wanted to join. There was also a thrill on discovering a photo credited to a former Head Boy, who then went on to become a railway author as well as a barrister. When I left skool and became a salaried employee, buying magazines, lots of them, was a new way of life. I recall a colleague saying he wouldn't mind being my newsagent!

 

In 2020, all printed media are under pressure for sales, as the "free" Internet offers so much info on so many subjects. As a pensioner, I still buy magazines, though, on various subjects. I didn't find online magazine access very fulfilling. The printed copies are attractive and offer an experience that even my 27" 5k monitor can't. I also buy books on subjects of interest. Libraries provide a service for those who can't afford to buy, as well as holding OOP and other hard-to-find books and publications. I haven't been in one in many years. I fear that the severe financial strictures I foresee post-Covid-19 will put many at risk.

 

But why the OP thought that this topic would be popular on a magazine publisher's free forum website I'm not sure. 

[BlackRat]

I don't go to my local newsagents to 'browse magazines', I go there to buy them.

 

Thats why they are still a thriving local business.

[PaulRhB]

People like it being free and complain about adverts on here . . . 
 

Like Andy hinted it’s a bit different if the money for the mag would better spent on making ends meet and maybe the rest of us who can afford it can help those by paying for the mags and keeping them viable so they end up in the library? 
 

Bit like I support my local model shop even though I can buy slightly cheaper online. You don’t know what you’ve got until you lose it. 

[Bernard Lamb]

12 hours ago, Jim Martin said:

 

It's a service offered by many public (and, indeed, academic) libraries. A service that many people, who perhaps see libraries as a simple "borrow book, return book" operation, may not be aware of. A service that publishers participate in voluntarily. Pointing out that it exists is no more "crowing" than observing that you saved £9.99, or whatever, because you borrowed a particular book from the same library, rather than buying a copy.

 

Jim

Academic libraries offer a lot of material that cannot be obtained from any other source, at any price. Often the author will engage in correspondence if you ask questions about a specific topic. I have had several very well known experts spend a lot of time looking into obscure points to help me with projects and I am very grateful to them. Using these facilities instead of buying a copy for a few quid that is available on any high street is probable being a bit selfish and mean. Mentioning it on here in any tone, "crowing" or otherwise, is to me a case of biting the hand that feeds you.

Bernard

[Chris M]

I recently joined the Readly subscription service at £7.99 per month. I assumed this was like Spotify and the magazine owners would get a small payment every time someone reads their magazine. Indeed I hope that's what happens. I rather like being able to dip into the odd article that catches my attention across a large number of magazines. Its very much a low level read as there is nothing more than a PDF like file for each magazine. So great for dipping in while on the PC/tablet but not so great if you like to be able to relax in a chair and read at leisure. My Readly subscription won't stop me buying magazines but it does add to my knowledge by being able to see articles I wouldn't normally see. I don't blame magazine owners for not joining in as each company will have it's own business model and has to make a profit somehow.

 

There are some great magazines on there including Model Rail, Hornby Magazine, Railways Illustrated, Steam days and Steam Railway. There is no RM or BRM and I guess this is because physical sales and their own subscription sales are strong enough without Readly and that's a good thing. It seems that Key Publishing and Bauer are very much into Readly. Warners Group do partake in Readly as Garden Rail is there, which is nice for me. 

 

So while this is not a free service like the library one it is a useful one and I trust it is an ethical one. I have used the library service to look up articles in Which magazine which is useful once in a blue moon. I have often wondered how the libraries can provide this service for free.

[SHMD]

Oh the irony of using the magazine’s online presence to advertise on how to read/consume the magazine for free!

 

As others have explained, if this piracy goes too far then very soon no one can read the magazine.

 

It’s a bit like living in a village and putting up a card in the village shop on “how to get free potatoes” from the corner of farmer BRM’s field because one corner of it is out of sight of the farm house.

Not only does the farmer lose out but so do the workers on the farm and in the shop.

 

For some reason, many people seem to think this is a “victimless crime”!

(Maybe they can only think of themselves so only 1 or 2 instances does not matter.)

 

 

Kev.

 

[John Harris]

11 hours ago, BlackRat said:

I don't go to my local newsagents to 'browse magazines', I go there to buy them.

 

Thats why they are still a thriving local business.

 

Those who visits WHSmiths to read magazines, I've encountered blokes sitting on the floor reading mags, is the one exception to my opposition to the death penalty. 

 

jh

[dibber25]

Its the perfect paradox, is it not? We all like to get something free but none of us likes to see our work given away. I've just read that 1.5million people listed model-making as one of the things that has kept them sane during lock-down. Now, if the four mainstream model railway titles could have even half that number of people buying their magazines...........(CJL)

[AY Mod]

6 hours ago, SHMD said:

“how to get free potatoes” from the corner of farmer BRM’s field

 

 

Except Farmer BRM's put up a big barbed wire fence and said "Get orf moi land" as it's not accessible via Pressreader but I'm happy to defend the principle which may affect others.

[pirouets]

On 05/07/2020 at 10:36, AY Mod said:

Don't ask me that today. 

What about today or should that along with tomorrow isn't possible either 

 

No problem with paying but I think your should know your free copy of BRM has given me sore knee's and a headache plus taken money from my wallet (Damn Phil and that chain link fencing)

Edited July 6, 2020 by pirouets

[Jim Martin]

7 hours ago, SHMD said:

As others have explained, if this piracy goes too far then very soon no one can read the magazine...

 

For some reason, many people seem to think this is a “victimless crime”!

(Maybe they can only think of themselves so only 1 or 2 instances does not matter.

 

Just to be clear about a couple of things:

 

Firstly, I don't think that copyright infraction is a victimless crime. In fact I've vigorously defended copyright in online arenas where that's a much harder sell than it is on RMWeb.

 

Secondly, however, in this case it is NOT A CRIME AT ALL because the publishers, who are free to do as they wish with their copyrighted material, have chosen to make it available through Pressreader. This is NOT some sort of dodgy file-sharing operation. As had also been explained in this thread, Pressreader works with some seriously big media companies. Do you really think that the New York Times would just let some scammers repackage their journalism and sell it on?

 

1 hour ago, dibber25 said:

Its the perfect paradox, is it not? We all like to get something free but none of us likes to see our work given away. I've just read that 1.5million people listed model-making as one of the things that has kept them sane during lock-down. Now, if the four mainstream model railway titles could have even half that number of people buying their magazines...........(CJL)

 

Chris, as the editor of a magazine that is available through Pressreader, it would be interesting to know how the decision-making process works and what, in general terms, the economics of it are. I defend Warner's decision not to deal with digital operations like Pressreader 100% - that's their prerogative - but it's interesting that Bauer has reached a different decision.

 

Jim

[Guest Half-full]

I spend 10 hours a day staring at screens, the joy I get from picking up a magazine (or a book) and submersing myself in it is immeasurable.