Overdrive Audiobooks and eBooks

 
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Overdrive Audiobooks and eBooks

Overdrive Media download logo.

Overdrive downloadable ebooks and audio books logo.

 

Clarington Public Library offers FREE access to a collection of downloadable Electronic Books and electronic Audio Books provided by the Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS).  Visit Overdrive today and download the free applications for your computer to begin borrowing from an extensive collection of eBooks and eAudio Books with your library card.  

 

Getting Started

  • First steps: Get starting out, or want to know more?  There is a Digital Books Tour to get you started.
  • Compatible devices: Unsure if your audio device or eReader will work with our media?  View the Device Resource Center for a list of compatible devices.

 

Required Software

 

Videos

Visit Clarington Public Library on YouTube for instructional videos on eBooks!  Follow along with library staff and learn how to search, download, transfer, and return eBooks.  Videos include:

 

Step-by-Step Guides for Sony, Kobo, and iPads

If you have a Sony Reader, Kobo, or iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch review these 'cheat sheets' from SOLS!  These step-by-step printable sheets will guide you through the process, from turning on your device to relaxing with your newly-borrowed library book.  The guides are updated approximately every three months to reflect any process change or software upgrades, if applicable.

 

Step-by-Step Guides for:

 

Kitchener Public Library has also created an eReader Help Page for additional guides, including the Blackberry Playbook.

  

Troubleshooting

OverDrive's My Help can guide you through customized assistance for your deivice and computer, and you can also access the OverDrive Help Centre.

 

Additionally, OverDrive has a wide range of articles and guides to assist you regarding sepcific problems and errors:

  • eBook Basics: general questions, different formats, downloading eBooks, transferring eBooks, and returning eBooks early.
  • eBook Troublshooting: understanding and resolving error messages regarding eBooks and Adobe® Digital Editions.
  • Software: system requirements, activation, and Adobe IDs.

     

Ebook FAQ's (for technology help, please visit the Overdrive Help site) 

How many libraries are sharing the Ontario Library Service Download Centre?

 

  • Clarington Public Library is in a fortunate position to be able to offer our customers access to a base collection that includes over 12,000 titles, thanks to a collection made available to small and medium sized libraries in Ontario through government funding.  Without access to this provincially funded resource it would have taken us quite a few more years to develop a collection of this size.

 

Why do you not have the latest James Patterson book as an e-book, but you do have the audiobook?  Why can I see this title available in e-book format in the Kindle Store but not in your catalogue?

 

  • Publishers and libraries have yet to work out all the details about how this new format should work within a public library setting.  We purchase the majoriety of our e-book content through Overdrive, the largest supplier of e-books to the library market, but unfortunately only 2 of the large five publishers are willing to sell to public libraries at this time.Some publishers are making their e-books avaialble to libraries at an inflated price, or may place a limit on the number of times an e-book can be checked out.  As negotiations continue, we will hopefully be better able to satisfy our customers e-book demands.
  • James Patterson is now with a publisher that will not sell e-books to libraries at this time, which is why we can access his most recent books with audio (as the audio format is looked at separately) but not his most recent e-books.

 

I don't want to place a hold on a title with 100 holds.  What should I do?

 

  • If you see a title that has many holds on it, make sure that you are noticing the number of copies that the library collection actually makes available to customers.  Just like a print based collection, the more demand a title has on it, the more copies of that title the library purchases to help our patrons get their information in a reasonable time period.  Currently, the average wait time for a person wanting an item is under 16 days.
  • Sign in to check availabilityLate 2011, Clarington Public Library began ordering titles to supplement the base collection, making different authors and additional copies of high demand titles part of our Advantage collection.  To date, over 800 titles have been made available through the CPL Advantage collection.  Titles that have had additional copies purchased for a particular library community will have the Advantage symbol attached to it.  Make sure you are logged into the system as soon as you start browsing so that you can see all the titles we have made available to you!

 

Why do I have to wait for e-books if it is available electronically?

 

  • Although the e-format has many advantages, we still need to look at the e-book collection as a library collection.  Just as with our print collection, only one person may have a copy of a title checked out at any given time.  A customer must either return the book to the collection, or have the title expire on their card before it is made available to another customer.

 

If you have any questions regarding the use of this amazing resource, visit any branch, phone Information Services at 905-623-7322, ext. 2712, or send us an email.

 

 

This is a project made possible by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport's $15 Million Investment in Public Libraries.

acknowledgement of SOLS and Ministry support.

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