Overdrive.com has a virtual monopoly on ebook lending. It serves thousands of libraries in the United States, and by virtue of being one of the earliest providers, it continues to service many libraries. But success can be too much of a good thing. Due to (near) monopoly pricing by Overdrive, libraries can only afford to have a finite number of each title available for lending. I realize that there are exceptions, e.g., the FLP uses a dynamic server for certain books, however, the most popular books are heavily controlled in terms of distribution. But, you might say, "That's capitalism, Abe!"
After receiving this message
You are patron 99 out of 100 on the waiting list.
when I recently added a book on erotic poetry to my Hold list, I became very upset, and began thinking of ways to game the system.
1. I rate every book I would like to borrow with one star, to discourage other people borrowing.
2. I no longer tell my friends about e-borrowing, or even disclose the libraries where I obtain technical books. Search for yourself, buddy.
3. Every library appears to have a section for new books. If you know when the list gets updated, then log in early to reserve your books. I'm thinking about borrowing Carl Weber's "So You Call Yourself A Man" from FLP. Just go to
http://freelibrary.lib.overdrive.com/, and punch in the name of the book, if you have not heard of it before.
4. Keep your borrowing periods short. This is not only a courtesy to other patrons, but necessary to managing your queue of books. The FLP has a policy of no more than 10 books out at a time. You can return books early through ADE, but let me give you a warning. On one account (not the FLP), I flushed out the borrowed books to make room for a new set. This caused an account lockout. There is a preset limit, possibly, of around 20 books per week.
5. Encourage your sons and daughters to join the system. This can increase the number of books you borrow. I have not experimented with this technique on more than one computer. If you happen to be a slow reader, who needs more than 3 weeks to read a book, then use your other account to place the book on hold. Some would consider this suggestion very unethical, but, hey, the system should accommodate the learning disabled. That's the law.
In summary, I have now given you some of my best tips for optimizing the use of Overdrive. One last tip: Keep pushing Kindles on your friends, acquaintances, and enemies. Amazon does not support Adobe Digital Editions. Very devious idea, doncha think?
