Friday, May 16, 2014

Friday Fave: Overdrive - The Library Comes To You

Happy Friday!

If you love books, I have a great app for you today.  It is available for: iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet, Windows computer, Mac,  Kindle, or Nook.   

This free app lets you access the digital collection from your library to download books in eBook format (i.e. Kindle) or audiobook.   

I have used this on my computer, Kindle, and iPad, and I really love it.  I often listen to audiobooks via Overdrive when I am working here.

Here's how it works:  You go to the Overdrive link (just click here!).  On the right side of the page you can type in your zip code and see if Overdrive is available at your local library system.  If it is, you can download the app for your computer or device of choice.  Then you log into Overdrive with your library card and download audiobooks or eBooks to your heart's content!  The books have a lending period similar to what you will find at a traditional library (i.e. 2 - 3 weeks) and you check them out online and return them online as well.

I am a great fan of eBooks (Kindle) and also enjoy audiobooks when I am working.  I cannot recommend this app highly enough for book lovers.

4 comments:

Bob Gilliland said...

Great post! As a circulation assistant in a small-town library I can't tell you how much effort we put into getting the word out regarding e-books and our electronic resources. This is a fantastic service.

Unknown said...

I love technology! So excited that you're using Overdrive on your Kindle. Great post - thanks for sharing this amazing resource!

Birdhouse Books said...

Thanks, Bob! I am a great fan of the new digital services that libraries offer now.

Birdhouse Books said...

Susan, I love technology, too! The first book I checked out via Overdrive last year was In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. It is a long and dense book about the American ambassador to Germany just pre-WWII. It was ideal to be able to check it out and read in Kindle format.