If you like reading and are active duty military, did you know that the Navy has an MWR library program full of ebooks and audio books available to borrow? I did not know about this program until recently when my friend Miguel told me about it.

It’s called the Navy General Library Program. Used in combination with an application called Overdrive, for viewing e-books or listening to audio books. For information about getting started with Overdrive, check here.

I use this library because right now I’m a full-time student, and have found that if I want to read for leisure the only way to fit it in my schedule is by listening to audiobooks. I do this when I cooking, showering, driving. That way I can fit in the required readings for my classes, and I can also listen to books through this program, for free.

If you are active duty military and in the USN, then click on the Navy General Library Program link above, create an account for yourself, download the overdrive app on any of your devices, link the library, and start checking out books.

In order to add a library to the Overdrive app, go to My Libraries, search for the Navy General Library Program, sign in with the account you created and start browsing for e-books and audiobooks.

This is what the overdrive app symbol looks like in the app store when you go to download it.

One downfall to the program is that there are only so many e-books and audio books available, and many of the books are checked out, some of them with a wait list. I don’t mind because I can wait until books are available, plus it’s free, so you can’t get that upset about it. It also appears that you can add local libraries to overdrive that are near you, so if you have a library card, then I assume you can also use their electronic library through the application. It beats paying the $9.99 monthly fee for kindle unlimited, which is about $120 a year.

It is just the thing I needed access to while in grad school. I’ll always be a fan of regular books but I have gotten used to the idea of audio books, especially when trying to maximize time. Plus, Miguel and I recommend books to each other, and it’s easy because we are using the same library.

If you are interested, give it a go and tell me what you think.

This article appeared first on the Cassey Excursion.