MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Forma How can I download ebooks from multiple libraries w/o signing out & in every time?

MGlitch · 10-11-2019, 02:14 AM

Libby is just another front end to overdrive.

The Libby app used to have an overdrive sign in apparently it no longer does. However this seems to be irrelevant for the purposes of this thread.

Step by step process

1) set up an account with overdrive DO NOT login with your library card you MUST create an account (I’m not even sure you can login with your library card but I’ve seen enough to make me suspect you can this WILL NOT WORK for what this thread is trying to do). If you have previously signed in using a card that doesn’t matter just make an account.

Please don’t ask questions about this I have no answers other than this is how it works. I’m not affiliated with Rakuten, Overdrive, nor the team from Overdrive who made Libby.

2) sign in to overdrive the app or website is fine either one but you must use the account you just made. (I shouldn’t need to say this but a nagging voice in my head is telling me to, since the overdrive sign in has seemingly been removed from Libby you will need to use the overdrive app which is still available and does receive updates. I refer you to my statement above if you have questions on why this is)

3) now that you are signed in, add your library cards. However many you have. Go hog wild.

I will state here that to the best of my knowledge the following two steps are optional but they will make the end experience better by far. You are free to skip them if you want but know that the overdrive apps layout for searching for books and determining the library you’re using sucks compared to Libby. This isn’t subjective, the layout and results are objectively worse. And while you should be fine skipping it your experience will suffer for it and you’ll have to navigate it on your own because I will not try and understand how any one could have thought this was a good UI. It physically hurts my brain. I hope I have been sufficiently clear here.

4) download the Libby app.

5) if upon opening the Libby app it truly has no option anywhere to login to overdrive then just follow the on screen prompts to add your library.

Once done with the first one it may or may not prompt you to add another my hunch is it won’t because reasons. If it does then just follow the on screen prompts. If it does not, then tap the little head icon in the top right (I hope to the gods old and new that the UI is consistent between iOS which I’m using and android but Libby seems to have been designed by a UI/UX graduate rather than a kid who took a UI/UX class and had to hand in something for a final grade coughOverdrivecough). You should see an option to add a library, add all of them. Yes even if you added them to overdrive.

Questions on why Libby doesn’t just have an overdrive login are pointless. I don’t know. My guess is because someone who made the overdrive app got a look at Libby and realized they’d be out of a job if you could do everything in Libby and they somehow had the pull to get the login option pulled.

Okay all done adding library cards a second time? Great!

6) Now here’s the easy part. On any Kobo device which supports overdrive go to the home screen. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top left to bring up the menu go to settings then Overdrive

IMPORTANT

The default option is to sign in with a library card. This is NOT what you want to do. At this point you don’t need any library card information. The screen will initially make you think otherwise. It’s misleading you.

Ok you should see an option saying sign in to overdrive. This will pull up a list of near by libraries as long as one of them is one you have a card for you’re 100% good pick that library. If none of them are just use the search option to find one, preferably the one with the biggest collection (I will explain why in a bit)

Select the library you have a card for keeping in mind the above.

Do not enter card information

Under the sign in button there is an ‘or’ then sign in with overdrive. This is the option you want. Tap it. Now login with your overdrive account.

Congratulations if you have successful gotten to this point you are good to go.

If you heeded my advice and set up Libby you can use that to borrow books from any of the libraries you have. Go ahead test it out grab a book from each one of you want. If you decided to skip Libby then may the gods old and new watch over you as you navigate the overdrive app cause I’m not going to.

Now on your Kobo hit the sync button. Any books you borrowed should download regardless of the library you’d selected in this guide.

As to why you should have picked the one with the biggest collection. I’m going to presume you might wanna to use this feature entirely on your Kobo as was intended. At the time I’m writing this there’s no way to switch the library you’d selected without having to sign out and back in again. And the on device search via overdrive will (I believe) only use the selected library. Please note that as stated above any ebook borrowed using Libby should sync to your kobo so this is more of an annoyance rather than a feature breaking issue

That nagging voice is telling me I should specify compatible ebook. In Libby you have the option to get kindle books. If your library has them Libby will assume you are smart and let you borrow them. However Libby is also smart enough to allow you to exclude these books.

But this isn’t a guide on how to use Libby. Please simply navigate through its options look at things push buttons. You won’t break anything without trying.

If you were not able to get to this point in the guide due to overdrive not working with your card, your library not supporting overdrive, you not knowing how to add your card to overdrive I’m sorry. The good news is contacting the library(ies) in question is the solution to all of those to one degree or another. If there was something else that prevented you from achieving this goal please feel free to ask questions. I may or may not have the answers my answer might be that you need to ask ‘insert name here’. I am by no means familiar with how every or even most of the libraries in the countries that support overdrive work. Heck I can’t speak the language of some possibly most of them. The above is just how I got multiple libraries working on my kobo Aura one, my Forma, and the same KA1 but with an aunts library cards when she inherited it.

And just because I feel it needs repeating I don’t know how the behind the screen stuff of overdrive and Libby work. I don’t know how Libby can sync to your overdrive account without logging in to it. I assume it cross references your card. But that’s a random guess. Please don’t ask me to explain why or how any of the above is needed. I’ve done as much explaining as I can.

I’m sorry for the rambling and the snark, it’s 2am and it’s been a long day.

10-11-2019, 02:14 AM	#6
MGlitch Wizard Posts: 2,855 Karma: 22003124 Join Date: Aug 2014 Device: Kobo Forma, Kobo Sage, Kobo Libra 2	Libby is just another front end to overdrive. The Libby app used to have an overdrive sign in apparently it no longer does. However this seems to be irrelevant for the purposes of this thread. Step by step process 1) set up an account with overdrive DO NOT login with your library card you MUST create an account (I’m not even sure you can login with your library card but I’ve seen enough to make me suspect you can this WILL NOT WORK for what this thread is trying to do). If you have previously signed in using a card that doesn’t matter just make an account. Please don’t ask questions about this I have no answers other than this is how it works. I’m not affiliated with Rakuten, Overdrive, nor the team from Overdrive who made Libby. 2) sign in to overdrive the app or website is fine either one but you must use the account you just made. (I shouldn’t need to say this but a nagging voice in my head is telling me to, since the overdrive sign in has seemingly been removed from Libby you will need to use the overdrive app which is still available and does receive updates. I refer you to my statement above if you have questions on why this is) 3) now that you are signed in, add your library cards. However many you have. Go hog wild. I will state here that to the best of my knowledge the following two steps are optional but they will make the end experience better by far. You are free to skip them if you want but know that the overdrive apps layout for searching for books and determining the library you’re using sucks compared to Libby. This isn’t subjective, the layout and results are objectively worse. And while you should be fine skipping it your experience will suffer for it and you’ll have to navigate it on your own because I will not try and understand how any one could have thought this was a good UI. It physically hurts my brain. I hope I have been sufficiently clear here. 4) download the Libby app. 5) if upon opening the Libby app it truly has no option anywhere to login to overdrive then just follow the on screen prompts to add your library. Once done with the first one it may or may not prompt you to add another my hunch is it won’t because reasons. If it does then just follow the on screen prompts. If it does not, then tap the little head icon in the top right (I hope to the gods old and new that the UI is consistent between iOS which I’m using and android but Libby seems to have been designed by a UI/UX graduate rather than a kid who took a UI/UX class and had to hand in something for a final grade coughOverdrivecough). You should see an option to add a library, add all of them. Yes even if you added them to overdrive. Questions on why Libby doesn’t just have an overdrive login are pointless. I don’t know. My guess is because someone who made the overdrive app got a look at Libby and realized they’d be out of a job if you could do everything in Libby and they somehow had the pull to get the login option pulled. Okay all done adding library cards a second time? Great! 6) Now here’s the easy part. On any Kobo device which supports overdrive go to the home screen. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top left to bring up the menu go to settings then Overdrive IMPORTANT The default option is to sign in with a library card. This is NOT what you want to do. At this point you don’t need any library card information. The screen will initially make you think otherwise. It’s misleading you. Ok you should see an option saying sign in to overdrive. This will pull up a list of near by libraries as long as one of them is one you have a card for you’re 100% good pick that library. If none of them are just use the search option to find one, preferably the one with the biggest collection (I will explain why in a bit) Select the library you have a card for keeping in mind the above. Do not enter card information Under the sign in button there is an ‘or’ then sign in with overdrive. This is the option you want. Tap it. Now login with your overdrive account. Congratulations if you have successful gotten to this point you are good to go. If you heeded my advice and set up Libby you can use that to borrow books from any of the libraries you have. Go ahead test it out grab a book from each one of you want. If you decided to skip Libby then may the gods old and new watch over you as you navigate the overdrive app cause I’m not going to. Now on your Kobo hit the sync button. Any books you borrowed should download regardless of the library you’d selected in this guide. As to why you should have picked the one with the biggest collection. I’m going to presume you might wanna to use this feature entirely on your Kobo as was intended. At the time I’m writing this there’s no way to switch the library you’d selected without having to sign out and back in again. And the on device search via overdrive will (I believe) only use the selected library. Please note that as stated above any ebook borrowed using Libby should sync to your kobo so this is more of an annoyance rather than a feature breaking issue That nagging voice is telling me I should specify compatible ebook. In Libby you have the option to get kindle books. If your library has them Libby will assume you are smart and let you borrow them. However Libby is also smart enough to allow you to exclude these books. But this isn’t a guide on how to use Libby. Please simply navigate through its options look at things push buttons. You won’t break anything without trying. If you were not able to get to this point in the guide due to overdrive not working with your card, your library not supporting overdrive, you not knowing how to add your card to overdrive I’m sorry. The good news is contacting the library(ies) in question is the solution to all of those to one degree or another. If there was something else that prevented you from achieving this goal please feel free to ask questions. I may or may not have the answers my answer might be that you need to ask ‘insert name here’. I am by no means familiar with how every or even most of the libraries in the countries that support overdrive work. Heck I can’t speak the language of some possibly most of them. The above is just how I got multiple libraries working on my kobo Aura one, my Forma, and the same KA1 but with an aunts library cards when she inherited it. And just because I feel it needs repeating I don’t know how the behind the screen stuff of overdrive and Libby work. I don’t know how Libby can sync to your overdrive account without logging in to it. I assume it cross references your card. But that’s a random guess. Please don’t ask me to explain why or how any of the above is needed. I’ve done as much explaining as I can. I’m sorry for the rambling and the snark, it’s 2am and it’s been a long day.