New Overdrive coming and it is awful

[4691mls]

The NC Digital Library has now gone over to the dark side....

I am going to assume I still have the same number of potential holds and loans I had yesterday when the old site was active.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

The NC Digital Library has now gone over to the dark side....

I am going to assume I still have the same number of potential holds and loans I had yesterday when the old site was active.

Unless the library has upped the number of holds and borrows the numbers will be the same.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I find the hold queue information on the new site confusing.

On the current/old Overdrive site, one of my books on hold says "1 person ahead of you".

On the new site, for the same book, it says I am "#29 on 8 copies". That makes it sound like I would be waiting a while.

When I click the "?" button, it says the following:

There are (at most) 2 people ahead of you in line.
Total holds: 32
Your holds position: #29 on 8 copies

Personally, I prefer this way. I think it was misleading when it only said "at most 2 people ahead of you in line". I think they were trying to say that you shouldn't have to wait longer than the amount of time in your libraries holds (e.g., if they allow 21 days, then being 3rd in line means you should be able to get the book no later than about 2 months from now).

Regardless that the wait *time* doesn't change, I'd rather watch the book count decrease (28, 27, 26, 25, etc.). I found it frustrating to log in and seeing the number not change day after day after day.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Personally, I prefer this way. I think it was misleading when it only said "at most 2 people ahead of you in line". I think they were trying to say that you shouldn't have to wait longer than the amount of time in your libraries holds (e.g., if they allow 21 days, then being 3rd in line means you should be able to get the book no later than about 2 months from now).

Regardless that the wait *time* doesn't change, I'd rather watch the book count decrease (28, 27, 26, 25, etc.). I found it frustrating to log in and seeing the number not change day after day after day.

I just want them to pick a system and stay with it. It changed at least once during the time I used the old version of the site, and now it's different again on the new site.

[JSWolf]

There is another issue with the new Overdrive system. The current system shows you when you have something on hold has come due. The new system does not show you. You have to search your holds to see if anything is available.

If you do not know how many hold and/or loans you have, then you might not be able to manage things properly. There's no way that I know of in the new system to find out other than hitting the limits.

[nabsltd]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

On the new site, for the same book, it says I am "#29 on 8 copies". That makes it sound like I would be waiting a while.

What it tells you is that 28 people are in front of you on the holds list, and the library has 8 copies. The number of copies is only somewhat important.

The important thing is that you won't get the book until 28 other people get it first, then at least one person returns it.

The number of copies just tells you that right now, 8 people are reading the book, and you and the other 28 people will move up in line whenever anybody returns the book. With more copies, it's more likely that you'll get it sooner, as some people will read fast then return, but if everybody checks out for the max time and lets the auto-return at expire time do the work, then you'll be waiting for MaxCheckoutTime * 28 / 8 days.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by nabsltd

What it tells you is that 28 people are in front of you on the holds list, and the library has 8 copies. The number of copies is only somewhat important.

Only somewhat important? Quite important, I think. It's not the same #28 with 1 copy than #28 with 1 copy.

[FizzyWater]

Three out of four of the libraries I use switched today. Blech.

Actually, I'm trying to keep track of pros and cons. I'm trying to be open minded, but the "clean and simple" website style is not a favorite of mine. It always means more clicks, less information in a glance, and an assumption that everything's obvious (even when it's not).

[JSWolf]

They have removed some useful information from the new site. There is no indication that something is ready for borrow unless you look at the holds. There is no indication how many holds & loans unless you max out each and count. There's no indication of how many loads & holds you have unless you count. This is really pathetic.

[dordale]

I'm not understanding how the new site documents holds--here is the info I get on one of my holds:

"There are (at most) 5 people ahead of you in line.

Total holds: 10
Your holds position: #1 on 2 copies"

How can my hold position be #1 with only 2 copies of the book available and it's still possible that their might be 5 people ahead of me?

[FizzyWater]

This is my opinion on that one.

I think the logic built into the "there are (at most)..." sentence isn't the same as the "Your holds position..." sentence.

I noticed the error in this today, too.

Do I get the timing right on this? First, you put yourself on the hold list. Then you went back and clicked on the "information" circle that told you this, right?

I think the information circle is acting as if you're trying to decide whether to put a hold on it (even though it acknowledges in the "Your holds..." sentence that you already have), and it's saying that if you were to attempt to put a (new) hold on it, you'd be in the situation of "there are (at most) 5 people ahead of you in line".

It's using the previous design's logic of counting your position in line, based on total holds divided by # of books, which I never liked.

Just my opinion, trying to think how that could be programmed to give too different answers.

[4691mls]

I just saw this for the first time today - when I go to my wish list and click Available Now, the first book on the page is not actually available now, it is a Wait List book. (The rest of the books on the page are actually available now.) Why would they do this? I want to see wait list books, I would have clicked on All Titles instead of Available Now.

I expect this kind of crap (offering me stuff that's not what I asked to see) on a website that is trying to sell me something, but why on a library site? And besides, all my holds are full so I couldn't put this book on hold right now even if I wanted to.

editing the next day, to add that now there is another wait list book showing up on page 3 of my wish list Available Now. grrr When I select Available Now and see a book I'd really like to read now, then see it's not actually available, that's frustrating.

Also, I clicked on an author name to see other books by that author, and the books the library actually has are all jumbled up with the "not owned" books that can be recommended. I really wish the books the library actually owns now would be listed first.

[crane3]

Got onto the library today & the new Overdrive is in effect. Looks nice on a computer with a 27 in monitor, but some things are "greyed out" like the index(?) page numbers & next page. Wasn't able to see the sign-in until I selected the alternate listing.

The thing I liked was that after selecting the subject, I can time limit the 'sorted by date added' as in last 7 days, 40 days, etc. Will check more later.

However, it does look like there is a difference in accessing the library via the PC & a tablet. Horrible using the tablet; got my book but could not find where to log out among a few other things. Will have to check out whether quick response is due to the new Overdrive or just my timing this morning & the library isn't open on Mondays......

[library addict]

New overdrive for one of my libraries today.

The old site said the library had 11053 fiction books. Now it shows we have 1000. Where did all of the other books go?

Also "New eBook Additions" doesn't seem to actually show the newly added books.

And I am not a fan of the dark pink color scheme.

The new sorting features seem nice, but usually I just look at the new additions two to three times a week.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by library addict

New overdrive for one of my libraries today.

The old site said the library had 11053 fiction books. Now it shows we have 1000. Where did all of the other books go?

Also "New eBook Additions" doesn't seem to actually show the newly added books.

And I am not a fan of the dark pink color scheme.

The new sorting features seem nice, but usually I just look at the new additions two to three times a week.

The best thing for me is that it sorts by added date by default, so you do not have to change everything, and it shows in the same screen if it already at the library or it is coming soon.

BTW, Free Library of Philadelphia and Orange County have changed today.