How to get books from public library on Kindle

[vicki_c]

I just figured it out on dd's kindle fire. I went to overdrive, put in my zip, and found my library. I entered my library card # and the last 4 numbers of my cell. I rented a book for dd, checked out, then go to get for kindle, checkout free at amazon. I called dd and she got it. I just wish the search feature was a little easier.

I agree - at least on our library website, the searching and browsing features kind of stink.

 

[book_junkie]

Though even saying that, my library is currently still a busy place. It's surprising how many people don't have interent access at home and come to the library. Many seniors at my library only use real books and will never touch technology. But I think the ebook will decrease usage in the brick-and-morter library soon enough.

This thread is making me realize I got to get a new Kindle and learn to use it, even though I will probably never touch it again after I learn to use it. Ughhh hate wasting money like that, but my job is absolutely not going to teach me how to use one. Sigh.

I disagree with the first- circulation may be down on print books, but I think library usage will grow with libraries that move to be community centers through programming and expanding with their community needs.

I also disagree with the second- there's no need to get a an actual Kindle or a nook- there are apps that work with PCs that will work just fine for learning how to download ebooks:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-for-pc/379002322/

You will have to set up an account (and add the credit card info) but then you can down load your library books and free books to your PC to your heart's desire, and the interface is the same. I have a tablet with apps, and the apps work the same way as the actual Kindle/Nook devices- a few of my patrons and I compared them the other day.

And both have tutorials once they're set up that will walk you through how to work the app.

 

[harleyquinn]

I disagree with the first- circulation may be down on print books, but I think library usage will grow with libraries that move to be community centers through programming and expanding with their community needs.

I also disagree with the second- there's no need to get a an actual Kindle or a nook- there are apps that work with PCs that will work just fine for learning how to download ebooks:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-for-pc/379002322/

You will have to set up an account (and add the credit card info) but then you can down load your library books and free books to your PC to your heart's desire, and the interface is the same. I have a tablet with apps, and the apps work the same way as the actual Kindle/Nook devices- a few of my patrons and I compared them the other day.

And both have tutorials once they're set up that will walk you through how to work the app.

I agree with both points!

I'm late to the librarian party!

I just spent about 30 minutes with a patron who has her Kindle since May, but never even turned it on. I had to register it for her and everything. I'm mostly self-taught with the Kindle, but Overdrive has fantastic free archived webinars about using it for librarians.

As for getting staff trained, it's been a HUGE undertaking here, but we're finally getting there.

I love, love, love my Kindle Fire.

 

[harleyquinn]

I agree - at least on our library website, the searching and browsing features kind of stink.

That's Overdrive. It's pretty much exactly the same for every library. My best advice is to always used the advanced search. If you only want things that are currently available there should be an option to limit your results.

Unfortunately, I've yet to me a well-built library-related search tool.

 

[vicki_c]

That's Overdrive. It's pretty much exactly the same for every library. My best advice is to always used the advanced search. If you only want things that are currently available there should be an option to limit your results.

Unfortunately, I've yet to me a well-built library-related search tool.

Thank you harleyquinn / Ms. Librarian! I think that really would have been my dream job if I hadn't taken another path, but I don't think I realized it until the last few years. Maybe when I retire ... hopefully there will still be a need for libraries and librarians!

 

[Pigeon]

I'm also a librarian. I have an ebook reader and use ebooks. I'm not afraid of technology and I certainly don't think it spells the demise of libraries.

I do wish patrons realized a few things about ebooks. Ebooks are certainly convenient, but there is a definite downside that the average patron may not understand. I'm in an academic library, so some of our issues are a little different, but I deeply care about public libraries.

First, Overdrive is a subscription service. If the subscription lapses, the patrons no longer have access, period. For every dollar that the library spends on the Overdrive subscription, it has less to spend on adding materials to the permanent collection.

Also, the majority of ebooks cannot be interlibrary loaned. So that every dollar that goes into ebooks might make the materials easier to use for a small number of users, but it means much less access to a broad spectrum of material overall.

 

[tyniknate]

My 2 local libraries do not have ebook services (very small community). Am I out of luck, or is there a way I can use this system?

 

[Pigeon]

As others have mentioned, you can check around other library systems to see if you can obtain a non-resident card that will allow you to use their ebook collections. IN most cases, you will have to pay a fee for the card, but it's usually pretty reasonable.

One other point that I wish people knew about...

Most people want to think that ebooks are much cheaper for libraries to purchase than print books. Afterall, the publisher doesn't have to print, handle and ship all those books. But the truth is, that for libraries at least, ebooks tend to be considerably more expensive than print books. Publishers aren't stupid. When you see an advertised price for an ebook, the institutional price may be totally different.

In my field, it's not uncommon for the ebook to cost more than twice as much as a print book. Often there are severe limitations on what can be done with the ebook. In addition to no interlibrary loan, with most of the publishers I deal with, patrons cannot print or download more than a few pages, if they can do that at all.

 

[NotUrsula]

In the (I fully admit pathetic) library where I work, neither would know. Ebooks are nothing more than a subscription that the library system pays into; ebooks have nothing to do with a normal day at the library. We never see or touch ebooks. No one on staff knows much about them, unless they bought a Kindle for personal use and taught themselves. Many libraries also have the issue of older staffs, who never grew up with technology and aren't interested in educating themselves now so close to retirement. Least that is the case where I work.

Sounds nuts that a library would have so little knowledge about ebooks, but it's all run by outside companies, not libraries. When I run the reference desk, I am embarassed when people ask me about downloading ebooks and I just don't know. I can read the handouts and webpages about downloading ebooks, but it's all greek to me without a e-reader to actually use.

I guess the moral of my posts are: don't assume the library knows anything about ebooks. They may not!

Wow. I cannot believe you would post that in a public forum. You just cannot throw up your hands like that unless you want to put yourself right out of a job. Your professional development is not someone else's responsibility, it's yours. (And I apologize if that's a bit harsh, but you have to get out of this funk you seem to have let yourself slide into.)

I'm a special librarian these days, and my patrons insist on DRM-free PDF, so I have some special circumstances. However, you bet your bippy I know how to use Overdrive's products, and even though I don't manage any contracts with them, I know how the model works. Your library does indeed have "something to do with it" -- someone made your profile choices, and they can be changed to suit your patrons' preferences. The company offers a slew of staff training webinars, and a certain number of them are included with every contract. Ask the person who handles the contract for the access id and get out there and watch them. Download the apps to your desktop computer and check out some books for yourself; the functions work the same on the PC apps as they do on the dedicated ereader devices. Go into stores and play with every e-reader you can get your mitts on. Also, bookmark this for free classes, the ALA TechSource blog: http://www.alatechsource.org/blog?gclid=CKHvzJbstq0CFXMBQAodOGpPXw

Even if a particular library doesn't have the money to invest in an Overdrive account, there is no excuse for a professional librarian to be ignorant of the technical aspects of e-books and their implications for libraries. There are an enormous number of legal issues surrounding these things that have the potential to completely change the way we do business; we have to stay on top of them so that lawmakers don't allow publishers to destroy the public resource that we have spent the past two centuries working to build.

PS: In our household we use Overdrive titles from public libraries on a Nook Color, an iPod, a Toshiba Thrive tablet, and four PC's. My 4 yo has learned how to download Overdrive titles, so believe me, you can do it, too.

 

[harleyquinn]

Wow. I cannot believe you would post that in a public forum. You just cannot throw up your hands like that unless you want to put yourself right out of a job. Your professional development is not someone else's responsibility, it's yours. (And I apologize if that's a bit harsh, but you have to get out of this funk you seem to have let yourself slide into.)

I'm a special librarian these days, and my patrons insist on DRM-free PDF, so I have some special circumstances. However, you bet your bippy I know how to use Overdrive's products, and even though I don't manage any contracts with them, I know how the model works. Your library does indeed have "something to do with it" -- someone made your profile choices, and they can be changed to suit your patrons' preferences. The company offers a slew of staff training webinars, and a certain number of them are included with every contract. Ask the person who handles the contract for the access id and get out there and watch them. Download the apps to your desktop computer and check out some books for yourself; the functions work the same on the PC apps as they do on the dedicated ereader devices. Go into stores and play with every e-reader you can get your mitts on. Also, bookmark this for free classes, the ALA TechSource blog: http://www.alatechsource.org/blog?gclid=CKHvzJbstq0CFXMBQAodOGpPXw

Even if a particular library doesn't have the money to invest in an Overdrive account, there is no excuse for a professional librarian to be ignorant of the technical aspects of e-books and their implications for libraries. There are an enormous number of legal issues surrounding these things that have the potential to completely change the way we do business; we have to stay on top of them so that lawmakers don't allow publishers to destroy the public resource that we have spent the past two centuries working to build.

PS: In our household we use Overdrive titles from public libraries on a Nook Color, an iPod, a Toshiba Thrive tablet, and four PC's. My 4 yo has learned how to download Overdrive titles, so believe me, you can do it, too.

Well said!

 

[RitaE]

As I said, I'm not really involved in the Overdrive cost issue at the library as a volunteer but I do understand what you are saying. The subscription costs of Overdrive are quite a bit higher than just buying an eBook and then you have the issues of some Publishers blocking their books, Harper Collins and that 26 check-out limit etc. You do have the benefit of Overdrive handling the technical side of book check-outs and time limits etc. What is going on in Kansas right now with their state library is huge.

I know that our library has a couple of lending Kindles and they've put some eBooks on them that were purchased directly from Amazon before Overdrive started offering Kindle compatibility. Oddly enough, those eBooks are quite a bit cheaper than going through Overdrive but there is always a risk the Kindles will get broken or stolen. The library just bought Amazon Gift Cards with library funds and then used those to purchase eBooks. They have themed Kindles right now. A "Romance Kindle," an "Action and Adventure" Kindle and a couple of others. I know our local Senior Center has done something very similar.

However, as I understand it, it is a legal can of worms that really hasn't been addressed yet. Amazon services by phone told the library that they were allowed to open an Amazon account and buy eBooks just like any other consumer but they refused to put that into writing. I think several libraries have just quietly been playing around with the idea of purchasing eBooks outside of Overdrive and their subscription issues, but if it ever became a big idea the publishers would try to legally block it.

 

[NotUrsula]

As I said, I'm not really involved in the Overdrive cost issue at the library as a volunteer but I do understand what you are saying. The subscription costs of Overdrive are quite a bit higher than just buying an eBook and then you have the issues of some Publishers blocking their books, Harper Collins and that 26 check-out limit etc. You do have the benefit of Overdrive handling the technical side of book check-outs and time limits etc. What is going on in Kansas right now with their state library is huge.

I know that our library has a couple of lending Kindles and they've put some eBooks on them that were purchased directly from Amazon before Overdrive started offering Kindle compatibility. Oddly enough, those eBooks are quite a bit cheaper than going through Overdrive but there is always a risk the Kindles will get broken or stolen. The library just bought Amazon Gift Cards with library funds and then used those to purchase eBooks. They have themed Kindles right now. A "Romance Kindle," an "Action and Adventure" Kindle and a couple of others. I know our local Senior Center has done something very similar.

However, as I understand it, it is a legal can of worms that really hasn't been addressed yet. Amazon services by phone told the library that they were allowed to open an Amazon account and buy eBooks just like any other consumer but they refused to put that into writing. I think several libraries have just quietly been playing around with the idea of purchasing eBooks outside of Overdrive and their subscription issues, but if it ever became a big idea the publishers would try to legally block it.

Yes, this tactic has been used by a number of libraries to get around Amazon's no-lending license conditions; the argument is that it is the device which is being lent, not the content, and that Amazon cannot stop anyone from freely lending a Kindle device along with whatever content happens to be on it. The trick to this option is that it requires Accounting to play along -- the library has to open a dedicated CC account in order to register the device and load the content, then cancel the CC account so that patrons cannot use the registered account to purchase additional titles while they have the device in their possession. In public libraries this part of it can cause problems due to local rules about how government CC accounts must be handled.

The real advantage to eBooks from a publisher POV is that they cut out the middleman (the wholesale jobber); the publisher need never relinquish the chain of control over electronic content. The First-Sale Doctrine doesn't apply because in almost all of the available models, you don't actually own the content, you merely license it, so technically there is no sale where the content is concerned. However, the reading devices themselves are sold, which is where that loophole comes into play.

 

[DVC-Don]

My library participates in online books, but the selection is very limited.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just to be sure folks understand the best way to use Overdrive searching, as Harley suggested, you really need to use the Advanced Search box:

Note that right above the "Search" button is a box that allows you to show only titles that are available for checkout. Use this if you want to find a title to read RIGHT NOW, otherwise you will waste a lot of time looking at titles that are checked out to someone else.

I find that many users get frustrated with Overdrive because they search via the main menu page but everything they like seems to not be available. The thing is, if the title shows up at all, the library does have it, so put a hold on it so that you get into the queue. Take 30 minutes every so often to go in and place a bunch of holds so that you always have something coming to you from the queue; that habit will keep your reader loaded.

Yes, I know that it is frustrating having to wait, but please understand, if frustrated users don't place holds, the library will not generate wait time statistics that they can use to justify spending more money on ebooks. If you want the selection to improve, you need to help the library generate proof that the current selection is insufficient to meet demand. (Perhaps there won't be any money available to increase the contract value, but again, statistics will help the library make the case with voters that more funding is justified.) The software records searches that return zero hits, which again, lets the library know what is wanted that is not being found.

One other thing: if you want your public library to serve you better, please, speak up. Make sure that the person you speak to has some power; a circulation clerk is not likely to be able to do anything concrete to help you get satisfaction. Call the Director, and if he or she can't give you any hope, call the Board. Join the Friends, work to make sure that library bond issues pass when they come up on the ballot. A good public library provides some of the best bang for your buck that you will ever get from a government agency. Previous comments to the contrary, IME most public librarians are VERY good at stretching the public dollar and giving their patrons very good value for their tax contributions. In most cases, the amount of money your household pays in taxes each year to support your library is less than the cost of 3 new release books -- that is one heck of a deal if you like to read.

OK, I'm off my please-support-your-library soapbox now. Happy Reading!

 

[tessiemez]

My library sends patrons to the A/V department with questions about digital books. The head of A/V also organized a Digital Device Committee. Each branch in our county has to have one employee on the committee so that each branch has someone fully capable of helping patrons set up or troubleshoot any device. We keep a message board where we post tutorials we find on the internet, share problems we have been dealing with, and talk about what kind of devices we're seeing in the branches. I'm the Digital Device Specialist for my branch, and even though we're small (a town of just under 2000), I'm spending tons of time helping people with their devices. I love technology and have a great time with it.

A few years ago if you'd asked me if I would want to own an ereader, I'd sneer. I love the smell and feel of books. I love that my hands are on hundreds of books each day. eReaders hold their own, though. I have older patrons with vision problems whose reading experience has been revolutionized by ereaders. They don't have to wait for large-print copies of books--they can just increase the text size. It's also wonderful for homebound patrons who can't leave the house.

There are distinct disadvantages to not being able to purchase and own those books, and disadvantages to having the system managed by Overdrive, rather than in-house. We're constantly getting notifications that some Publisher has changed their licensing policies or stopped offering their books on Overdrive altogether.

Sorry for getting off-topic. To the librarians/employees who are nervous about not having experiences with the devices, I say, it's time to get hands-on! You might discover you really enjoy it. I also understand the worry abut relevancy, but I believe that in the future, as libraries continue to adapt to the needs of the community, libraries will become more relevant than ever (it just may be in different ways than you'd imagined).

(Sorry for letting my conversational chalice overflow--I geek out over my job!)

 

[sherry7]

http://www.freelibrary.org/

This library has a far greater selection than my local library for downloads in audio and kindle print downloads.

A subscription is $35/year unless you are military, over 65, or live in Philly, but if you plan to read a lot, it may be well worth it for the selection.

Dawn

Just to clarify, this is actually free to all PA residents who have a local library card, as long as it has the Access PA logo on it. Even my tiny library participates in the Access PA program, so I was able to get a FLP card at no charge.

 

[jrmasm]

Just to clarify, this is actually free to all PA residents who have a local library card, as long as it has the Access PA logo on it. Even my tiny library participates in the Access PA program, so I was able to get a FLP card at no charge.

A question, can you read borrowed books on multiple devices at the same time?

 

[delyrium]

To the librarian who knows nothing about ereaders: Kindle isn't the only device out there, and in fact at least one large publisher has pulled its Kindle titles from overdrive due to piracy fears. In order to be able to talk to your patrons, a Nook might be more well suited to you, for a couple reasons. First of all, because the download and checkout process has a greater learning curve than the kindle- you should really be acquainted with Adobe Digital Editions, which the Nook and a number of other ereaders require. And secondly, and more importantly, your local Barnes and Noble may be willing to host an ereader workshop for your staff members at no charge, as well as one for the public. They will be talking up the Nook of course, since it's their product. But it doesn't sound like your library is in a position to turn its nose up at business-hosted events right now.

 

[sherry7]

A question, can you read borrowed books on multiple devices at the same time?

Yes. I borrowed a book from FLP, and I'm able to read it on my Kindle Touch, iPad, or rooted (hacked) Nook Color using the Kindle app.

 

[RitaE]

To the librarian who knows nothing about ereaders: Kindle isn't the only device out there, and in fact at least one large publisher has pulled its Kindle titles from overdrive due to piracy fears. In order to be able to talk to your patrons, a Nook might be more well suited to you, for a couple reasons. First of all, because the download and checkout process has a greater learning curve than the kindle- you should really be acquainted with Adobe Digital Editions, which the Nook and a number of other ereaders require. And secondly, and more importantly, your local Barnes and Noble may be willing to host an ereader workshop for your staff members at no charge, as well as one for the public. They will be talking up the Nook of course, since it's their product. But it doesn't sound like your library is in a position to turn its nose up at business-hosted events right now.

The Penguin Publishing Kindle titles were restored shortly after that event. As of right now, Penguin is not supplying new titles in any eBook format to the Overdrive Distributor. Overdrive's official position is they are trying to work with Penguin to address their safety concerns.

I'm not sure what you mean by the Kindle download and check-out process has a greater learning curve. If anything, some might consider it easier since for the majority of Kindles you do not need to connect the device to a computer with a cable, you simply click "Send to Device" on the screen.