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# A New Browser Extension Encourages You to Choose Your Local Library Over Amazon
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/a-new-browser-extension-encourages-you-to-choose-your-local-library-over-amazon/
- Published: 2020-01-07T21:36:25.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:39:09.000Z
- Description: Library Extension will show you if books and e-books you search for online are available for free at your local library, and helps you borrow them in one click.
- Author: Hakim Bishara
- Tags: In Brief, Amazon, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 07:41 (2019, 2020, part 2)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/01/amaz-cancel-1460.jpg)

(graphic Hrag Vartanian/Hyperallergic)

Looking for a way to kick your addiction to shopping for books online? A new web browser extension might be of help.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/01/atwood_3.gif)

Screenshot of search results for Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale on Amazon.com

[Library Extension](https://www.libraryextension.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com) will show you if books and e-books you search for online are available for free at your local library.

The extension, which is available for Chrome and Firefox, is activated after entering your location and selecting libraries in your area. E-book services are also available.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2020/01/library_side.gif)

One installed, every time you browse for books at an online bookstore like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and Audible, Library Extension will pop up and show you if the books are available at your chosen library.

We tried out the extension by looking up Margaret Atwood’s bestseller *The Handmaid’s Tale* on Amazon.com. Library Extension appeared on the right side of the screen and showed that 29 hardcover copies (out of 143 total) of the book, and 89 audiobook copies (out of 365 total copies), are currently available at the New York Public Library. More copies are available at the Brooklyn Library (40 hardcovers and 20 audiobooks).

With just one click, you’ll be directed to the chosen library or e-book service page to borrow the book online or join a waiting list.