Library

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Make sure to change your borrowing period to 7 days before you checkout Open EPUBs!

yup, learned that! though I usually just avoid them altogether because of the return issue

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

If you are using an Overdrive library, you should be aware that "Open Epub" ebooks cannot be returned early - you have to wait for them to expire.

I learned this the hard way when I inadvertently checked out several Open Epub books at once, read them quickly, and then had to wait for them to expire before I could check out anything else (my library allows only 5 checkouts at one time).

You can return them early.

You can only return downloaded Open EPUBs from OverDrive's app for Android, Chromebook, iOS, or Windows 8.

http://help.overdrive.com/customer/p...ticles/1481263

[eschwartz]

Well, that stinks then.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

You can return them early.


http://help.overdrive.com/customer/p...ticles/1481263

Since I have a Sony reader and Windows 7 computer I guess I'm out of luck!

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by The dane

So how do library ebooks work? How can i take something back thats not really there? And whats the point in buying if i can download from home from the library!
Would it be as normall (2 weeks to return) do u return or delete?

I use the public library, but I buy a lot more ebooks than I borrow. The main limitation on the library's collections are the lack of depth: they usually have only a few books by an author, and are often missing some books from a series. There are also some publishers who refuse to sell to public libraries, so there is no way I could read everything I want to read if I limited myself just to borrowing.

The library is good for trying out a new author, but once I find one I like it is usually necessary to buy if I want to read their full backlist. I also want to support the authors who write books I like (and publishers who publish books I like), and I think buying books is more effective than library borrowing in that regard.

Like others here I like to re-read, and there is no guarantee the library will still have the ebook (or even that the ebook will still be available for sale) when I come to re-read it. There are a growing number of ebooks that I have bought (or wished I had bought when I had the chance) which are no longer available from any legal source at any price.

Also if I buy the book (and remove DRM) I can correct all the publisher's errors for the next time I read it.

All of these issues and limitations apply to the various ebook renting schemes too.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

If you are using an Overdrive library, you should be aware that "Open Epub" ebooks cannot be returned early - you have to wait for them to expire.

I learned this the hard way when I inadvertently checked out several Open Epub books at once, read them quickly, and then had to wait for them to expire before I could check out anything else (my library allows only 5 checkouts at one time).

Good point! Permit me to make a slight correction and clarification here, based on what's posted at the OverDrive pages, "How to return titles before the end of your lending period" and Open PDFs cannot be returned early.*

• "You can't return downloaded Open PDF books before the end of the lending period." (You can, however, shorten the lending period before downloading them.)
• You can't return any titles using OverDrive's desktop app for Mac.
• You can only return a streaming video that you've watched (partially or completely), if you've added it to OverDrive's app for Android or iOS.
• You can only return downloaded Open EPUBs from OverDrive's app for Android, Chromebook, iOS, or Windows 8.

*NOTE: you CAN shorten your lending period, as pointed out by OverDrive, eschwartz, and Purple Lady. To be safe, I'd do so before checking out or downloading a title, as I'm unsure whether or not shortening the lending period helps afterward.

FYI, I belong to several library systems, and when prioritizing which I'd prefer to borrow any given title from, I consult my list that summarizes what lending platforms each of my libraries offers (I prefer OverDrive), and each library's elending policies. It's amazing how much the policies differ by:

• Lending period (the range is 7 to 21 days)
• Number of books one can check out simultaneously (the range is 5 to 50 titles)

My most outlandishly "generous" library is Queens Public Library: 21 days, 50 titles.

[eschwartz]

Once the book is checked out, the lending period is sealed. You must decide how long you want it out for before checking out an Open EPUB.
Note: IIRC you can return it if you haven't downloaded it yet, ou may wish to do that if you realize you made a mistake.



I used to like the Queens Public Library, until they decided to stop purchasing new titles and stop renewing old titles from publishers that require repurchasing periodically. They have completely switched over to Axis360, which I find inferior, and they are just waiting for their OverDrive account to finally give up the ghost and die, I guess.

50-book checkout limit doesn't do much if they haven't updated the catalog in over a year and a half. (Maybe two?)