Problems with the 3M Cloud Library

[nabsltd]

Originally Posted by dkperez

What do I need to do to this to actually get it to start MULTIPLE instances?

There is no easy way to be logged in to two separate libraries at the same time using the Cloud Library app because the login data is stored in a single file with no option for multiples.

You could use something like VMware's Virtual App technology, which would contain everything into a virtual space—including the file system—so that each instance would write to its own area.

You could also try to re-define the APPDATA environment variable before you launch the app, but if the app uses the Windows API to find the directory, it won't help.

I've solved the problem by doing all my searches and aggregation using Calibre, then when I decide what I want to check out from where, I use my batch file to have the Cloud Library app log into the right library, and I do what I need. If I have to work with more than one library, I just do them in sequence. Since Calibre is telling me what I need to do and groups the checkouts from one library, it's not too big a deal.

[Jeremy_Loweryp]

The number of 1 star reviews is growing. Seems to be a global issue that the text is unreadable. There is also an issue that it doesn't retain your settings when you open and close and remember bookmarks. In summary this update breaks many things. What's the point of a reading app that can't display text legibly! I do not advise updating.

[dkperez]

nabsltd, I'm intrigued by your statement:

"I've solved the problem by doing all my searches and aggregation using Calibre, then when I decide what I want to check out from where, I use my batch file to have the Cloud Library app log into the right library, and I do what I need. If I have to work with more than one library, I just do them in sequence. Since Calibre is telling me what I need to do and groups the checkouts from one library, it's not too big a deal. "

Can you elaborate on how you do this?

For example, lets say I want to find new books by John Sandford I don't have in Calibre. Currently, I open a browser window and put in "John Sandford books", then look at the list, compare it to what's in Calibre, and if there's a new one, open a second window in Overdrive to see if my library has it. If it does, I open another browser window into the library and put it on hold or borrow it.
If I don't find it at my library, I open the 3M Cloud app (repeatedly for multiple libraries) to see if one of them has the book... If so, put it on hold or borrow.

What of this process can I do in Calibre, and how?

[Terisa de morgan]

Look at overdrive plugin, which works with different kind of libraries. No need to open a browser for looking a book in a library or searching for an author's books.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Look at overdrive plugin, which works with different kind of libraries. No need to open a browser for looking a book in a library or searching for an author's books.

But don't you have to create entries in Calibre for "empty books" for anything you want to search for? (Rather than just having a search box to search all libraries)

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

But don't you have to create entries in Calibre for "empty books" for anything you want to search for? (Rather than just having a search box to search all libraries)

If you are looking for particular books then you can add an empty book entries and search based on those. But the plugin also has a book discovery functions.

You can select any books in calibre by any authors you like and it will find any other books by the same authors available for you to borrow and list them in a discovered book table. You can then pick the ones of interest to you and either add them as new "empty books" automatically or borrow them right from the discovered book list by right clicking on an entry.

There is also a discover by keywords function if you are looking for a topic rather than an author.

These functions work across all of the lending libraries and providers that you configure in the plugin. For example, the Free Library of Philadelphia has e-books available in OverDrive, Freading, and Hoopla. The plugin can find books at all of these services with a single search.

[FizzyWater]

I'm just trying to figure out why I'd want empty book entries in my calibre library. Do you make a new library just for empty book searches?

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I'm just trying to figure out why I'd want empty book entries in my calibre library. Do you make a new library just for empty book searches?

It depends on how you use calibre. Some people only use it to only catalog e-books that they own.

I instead use it to track all of my reading. I have entries for books I own (print or e-book) along with those I have read (but do not own) and those I want to read in the future. So most of the books in my calibre library have no associated e-book format, what calibre calls an "empty" book.

[nabsltd]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I'm just trying to figure out why I'd want empty book entries in my calibre library.

To track things you don't have. Or, to track things you have already borrowed from a library and read.

Or, like me, to track "books". I started with Calibre when I had no e-reader at all, and used it to catalog my physical books. Then, I added in ebooks, and can now easily figure out which books I need to buy or borrow in what format (ebook or physical), based on what I already own and what is available at libraries or stores.

[dkperez]

I do something similar to jhowell... I use Calibre a number of ways. For example, I've added some columns - one of them is "Wishlist". When I find a new book has been released by an author, I add it as an empty book, and set the "Wishlist" to Yes. That makes it easy (ier) to check for books I'm trying to find.
I also added columns to show which books are on my tablet, and which I've finished reading. Even one to show authors that are no longer current - if they haven't released anything in the last 5 years, or they've died, there's no use wasting time doing a frequent search on them looking for new books...

I'll give the plugin a try...

In sort-of related news. I JUST cleaned out my folder where books are stored when downloaded... There were 550, YES 550, books with a -n attached to the end. These are those ^%$-^%$ duplicates that keep getting downloaded from the 3M cloud library - and it's GOTTEN WORSE 'cause I'm now having to use the miserable thing for 3 DIFFERENT LIBRARIES, with Saint Paul indicating THEY'RE going that way too, which will be FOUR library systems shoving HUNDREDS of megabytes of DUPLICATE crap down a metered connection... There's GOTTA BE SOME SIMPLE THING I'M MISSING TO KEEP THIS SLOW, MISERABLE, BANDWIDTH-HOGGING POS from repeatedly downloading all the crap.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I'm just trying to figure out why I'd want empty book entries in my calibre library. Do you make a new library just for empty book searches?

Track the 900 Paper books I have in the storeroom
Wishlist, for future consideration
Cross reference for Omnibus or Anthologies that have not been split (most of mine )

I have a VL for Missing or Poor (tag triggered)

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Jeremy_Loweryp

The number of 1 star reviews is growing. Seems to be a global issue that the text is unreadable. There is also an issue that it doesn't retain your settings when you open and close and remember bookmarks. In summary this update breaks many things. What's the point of a reading app that can't display text legibly! I do not advise updating.

FYI, a new version of the mobile app was released to fix the font sizes and also any login issues people still on iOS 8 were having.

[seacity1]

Since my 3M Cloud Reader desktop app for Windows recently updated to PC version 2.1.17 I can no longer download books from any of my 3 library Overdrive accounts (Says "Check Activation!") . I also can I no longer open/return OD books from ADE & get an activation error.

Both 3M & OD use to work off the same ADE ID & 3M/Cloud books & OD books both downloaded to the desktop ADE app. This is no longer the case. In Windows, 3M/Cloud now downloads to C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Roaming\Bibliotheca\cloudLib rary\PROD\ebooks.

When the 3M app update installs it asks if you want to use a 3M generated ID or your own unique ID to authorize ADE. I choose my own ADE ID as this is the same ID I have used in the past for both 3M/Cloud & OD. Now 3M works with this ID & downloads properly but Overdrive does not. While my computer has only 1 authorized ADE ID it does not appear to work for any of my Overdrive library accounts any longer.

I checked 3M's online support. However, with the changes made to the recent update of the 3M/Cloud app for Windows, most of the troubleshooting information is no longer relevant. I also searched Adobe's website. While others have reported this problem no answers have been provided.

If anyone can help m fix this problem I would be most appreciative.