OverDrive logo

These task based exercises are designed to help you familiarize yourself with the OverDrive platform. OverDrive is available to all Westchester Library System cardholders. Additional OverDrive Advantage titles are available to some library cardholders. 

  • You can start reading or listening immediately in your web browser, or download titles to the Overdrive app or onto your computer.
  • You can borrow ebooks and eaudiobooks for Android or iOS (ePub format) or Kindle.
  • Loan periods can be adjusted between 7-14 days.
  • The “Renew” option becomes available three days before a title is set to expire and appears next to the title on your Checkouts page. If the title already has holds, you can’t renew it, but you can request it again.

 Web Browser

  1. Using a web browser and the WLS OverDrive link or the link on your library’s website, find OverDrive. Log in using your library card number and PIN.

Search

  1. Search for a particular title or author. For example, “I Am Malala” or “Bill Bryson.”
  2. Notice the icons in the upper right of each book. Black icons mean the item can be borrowed immediately. Grey icons mean there are no copies available and you will have to place it on hold.
  3. Find a book that is available and borrow it.
  4. Find a book or audiobook that is currently unavailable and place a hold.

Browse

  1. Browse the “Featured Collections” on the homepage – Recommended for You, New Releases,  Most Popular, etc.
  2. Click on “View more” to browse all subjects available for one of the categories.
  3. Hover over an item and click “More.” Find the available formats for this item, and how many copies are available.

Read In-Browser

  1. Find your checkout and hold limits (10) and how many items you currently have checked out or on hold.
  2. Find the ebook you borrowed and open it using the “Read (in your browser)” option.
  3. Jump to a different chapter of the book and create a bookmark. Play around with the readability settings. Read the “Tips and Secrets” at the bottom of the menu.

Listen In-Browser

  1. Repeat this process, but this time borrow an audiobook and open it to listen in broswer.
  2. Explore the listening tools. Read the “Tips and Secrets” at the bottom of the menu.
  3. Go back to OverDrive and return one of the items you borrowed.

Download

  1. OverDrive has a lot of possibilities when it comes to downloading. When you click on “Download,” you will see the available formats for your title. How you download a title will depend on whether you want to download it to a computer or device, what kind of device or computer you have, and what OS you are using. Some computers require authentication through Adobe Digital Editions.
    1. Learn about the differences in ebook formats
    2. Learn about the differences in audiobook formats
    3. If you download a title, the “Return Title” button will disappear. You still may be able to return it with the software or app you used to download it.
  2. If you have a Kindle or the Kindle app installed on your device, download a title in Kindle format. A new window should open to Amazon. Click on “Get Library Book,” and you will be prompted to sign into your Amazon account. Select the device you would like the Kindle book delivered to and close this window.

Account

  1. Find your “Holds” and remove the hold you placed earlier.
  2. Take a look at “Lists” and “Settings.” Under settings, you may want to update your loan period preferences or other options.

 OverDrive App

Tablet

  1. Make sure your device is connected to Wifi.
  2. Using the App Store on your device, search for the “OverDrive” app, download it to your device. Open the app, create an OverDrive account, and log in.
  3. Find and add a library.
  4. Because you can add multiple libraries to your OverDrive account, you have to sign in to each library separately (even after you sign in to your OverDrive account.) Find the “Sign in” link and enter your library card number and PIN.
  5. Find your current checkouts – any ebooks and audiobooks you borrowed through the browser or the catalog.  If you don’t have any titles borrowed at this point, search or browse in the app, and borrow a few ebooks and audiobooks in different formats.
  6. Download one of your checked out ebooks or audiobooks to the app.
  7. Find your Bookshelf. Open up an ebook. Jump to a new chapter and create a bookmark. Adjust the font and lighting settings.
  8. Navigate back to your Bookshelf and open an audiobook. Explore the listening tools.

Kindle

  1. Go back to the Home Menu and select Westchester Library System. If you have a Kindle or have installed the Kindle reading app, find and borrow a Kindle book.
  2. Go to your Checkouts page and select “Get Kindle Book.” You’ll be taken to Amazon’s website to complete checkout and send the ebook to your Kindle device or Kindle app. If you’re not already signed into Amazon, select “Get library book.” You will be prompted to sign in and can then select which device you wish to send the book to.
  3. Open your Kindle app or check your Kindle device and find the book you downloaded.
  4. You can return Kindle books early or delete them permanently once they have expired by logging into your Amazon account and going to Manage Your Content and Devices.

 Catalog

WLS OverDrive titles are indexed and can be downloaded directly from the catalog. Library OverDrive Advantage titles are not available through the catalog.

  1. Go to the Enterprise catalog at https://www.westlibs.org/.
  2. Change the first drop-down menu from “Everything” to “Digital Catalog” and click Search. This includes results from OverDrive, Total Boox, and Project Gutenberg.
  3. Search for a specific author. Look through the results and identity the item type and formats available. Using the facets on the left, limit your search to “HTML” (this is “OverDrive Read in Browser” or “OverDrive Listen in Browser”).
  4. Download one of the titles.
  5. In your account, find your Digital Checkouts.
  6. Select and return the item you downloaded from the catalog. Some items cannot be returned this way, because they can only be returned using the application from which they were downloaded.

With thanks and credit to Megan Fenton and the Greenburgh Public Library.