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New Look for Overdrive Ebooks and Audiobooks Catalog

The online catalog the library uses for ebooks and downloadable audiobooks, called Overdrive, updated its website with a new look this weekend. If you haven't already, please check it out at http://mvlc.lib.overdrive.com.

There is an online guide that introduces all the new features, and new printed guidelines will be ready soon. A few important changes to note are:

• The way to choose how long you'd like to check out an item has changed dramatically:
  1. Below the large BORROW button on a title's information page it will say "This title can be borrowed for 14 days. (Change)." Clicking on the "Change" button will allow you to set a new lending duration.
  2. From the ACCOUNT screen in the SETTINGS tab on the right of the page and must be done BEFORE a title is checked out in order to take effect. As always, everything but WMA Audiobook titles can be returned early so we recommend the maximum checkout duration for eBook titles as they can always be returned early but they cannot be renewed.

  Any change made to this setting from either the method in 1 or 2 will become the new default.

• Patrons can now return their EPUB and MP3 Audiobook titles early directly from their "Bookshelf" screen in the new OverDrive web interface. Below each title is a new button "Return Title" so a patron will not have to return the title through Adobe Digital Editions as was required previously.

The new look only applies to the website - people using the mobile app will not notice any change. If you use Internet Explorer 7 you will need to download the Google Chrome plug-in to display the page correctly, as that version of the browser does not support all the features of the new layout. Alternatively you could update to the latest version of the browser.

If anyone has any questions please contact the Reference Desk.

More Ereaders Support for Overdrive Ebooks

Chelmsford patrons can use the library's subscription to Overdrive to download and read ebooks - and the service just got better.

Overdrive recently announced that their ebooks will now work on both the Borders Kobo eReader and the Pandigital Novel.

Kobo eReader

Pandigital Novel

If you've been thinking about buying an ereader for yourself, Overdrive lists all of the devices they support - which means you'll have access to all of the ebooks available through the Chelmsford Library. We also have a list of other places you can download ebooks.

And remember, Overdrive has downloadable audiobooks too!

Ebooks Now Available

The Library's Overdrive subscription has been expanded to offer ebooks in addition to audiobooks.

These ebooks are in the Adobe EPUB format, and work with many ereader devices, including the Barnes and Noble Nook and Sony eReader - they are not compatible with the Amazon Kindle or Apple iPad.

Anyone with a valid MVLC library card can visit http://mvlc.lib.overdrive.com to start browsing. We're starting with a small ebook collection, but will continue to add titles.

Searching for ebooks works the same as searching for audiobooks, but you will need to download and install the free Adobe Digital Editions software. Overdrive provides instructions for getting started, and offers a great video guided tour of using our Overdrive library. We also have an introductory brochure [pdf] that gives tips on using Overdrive.

In addition to Overdrive, our Reading Room page lists other places from which Chelmsford residents can download free ebooks (including some Kindle resources).

If you're still considering purchasing an ebook reader, here are resources to help you evaluate which device would work best for you:

• News and Advice from Consumer Reports
• Reviews from c|net
• Reviews from PC Magazine
• Reviews from Wired Magazine
• Privacy information from the Electronic Frontier Foundation: E-Book Buyer's Guide to Privacy and privacy comparison charts of the top models

MP3 Audiobooks Available

Starting on Dec. 1st, 2008, Chelmsford patrons can now download audiobooks in MP3 format.

For over a year, the Library has offered downloadable audiobooks through our Overdrive subscription, which we share with other MVLC libraries. However, until now, these audiobooks were only available to people with Windows-based computers, and they could not be played on iPods.

But now, we're very happy to offer audiobooks in MP3 format, which is compatible with iPods and many other popular MP3 players and cell phones. Also, Overdrive has released a new version of the Media Console that runs on Mac computers.

Searching for and downloading the new MP3 format audiobooks is the same as the previous formats, so if you've used Overdrive before you should have no problem. The format of the audiobook is displayed in each audiobook's search record (displayed below), along with what kind of devices on which that audiobook can be played.

If you'd like more information about using the new MP3 audiobooks, check out the Dec. 2008 issue of the MVLC newsletter [pdf]. If you have questions about MP3 audiobooks or need assistance using Overdrive, please contact the Reference Desk.

Changes to our Overdrive Downloadable Audio Books Service

In response to comments from our patrons, the libraries of the MVLC Consortium recently voted to change a few of the borrowing policies for downloadable audio books from our Overdrive library. The new policies are:

• Books are now checked out for 14 days (instead of just 7)
• Patrons can now check out up to 5 items at a time (instead of just 3)

The rest of our downloadable audio book policies have not changed. You can browse for and download these books from http://mvlc.lib.overdrive.com.

For assistance with searching or downloading audio books from Overdrive, please contact the Reference Desk.

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