FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Robyn Truslow
410-535-0291
Calvert Library Offers Improved eBook Service
Did you get a new tablet for Christmas or perhaps an ereader? Perhaps you already know that Calvert Library has ebooks you can check out to your device but have you tried it recently? OverDrive, the online digital elibrary, has a great new look and functionality! A recent upgrade to OverDrive has made the site more user-friendly, simplifying the whole process of downloading free audio and ebooks.
The site offers users more search options and better integration with various ereading devices, including optimization for any screen size. The new ebook platform also offers a new service called “OverDrive Reads,” which is a browser-based ebook reading option; allowing users see the book and read the book in any modern web browser (no ereading device is necessary).
Though OverDrive serves libraries throughout the United States, Maryland’s Digital eLibrary Consortium (the state-wide group that provides OverDrive to participating Maryland libraries) is one of the first in the nation to upgrade the service. As an early adopter of OverDrive’s next generation, our libraries are providing valuable feedback in the development of this new ebook platform. As with any new software, quirks are expected, and OverDrive’s upgrade has a few issues that are being addressed now.
The library has heard feedback that availability of popular books on Overdrive is limited. While it is true that this is a very popular service, the supply of titles and number of copies of popular titles are ever-growing. Customers can now place up to six items on hold so with a little planning, you can in fact almost always have something good to eread from the library. There are still some big publishers that refuse to sell to libraries such as Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group and Penguin. Others charge such exorbitant prices as to be prohibitive…for example, the very popular digital book Fifty Shades of Grey sells to an individual for $9.99 but libraries are charged $47.85 to stock one digital copy of it. Even so, according to Robyn Truslow, Public Relations Coordinator, the selection has improved, “I was showing my brother how to download an audiobook from Overdrive for his Christmas ride home and was pleasantly surprised to find most of the Harry Potter books available to check out immediately.”
If you need a little help getting started with downloading library ebooks, call your library to schedule a one-on-one help session. Group classes are available periodically as well. These classes introduce searching on Overdrive, explain Digital Rights Management (how publishers protect copyright), teach you how to strategically place holds and generally get you comfortable with the site and software. The next class is scheduled at Calvert Library Southern Branch on Wednesday, January 23 at 7pm. For more information, call the Calvert Library Prince Frederick at 410-535-0291 or 301-855-1862 or check the website at calvert.lib.md.us.
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Robyn Truslow
Public Relations Coordinator
Calvert Library
850 Costley Way
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
Phone 410-535-0291
Fax 410-535-3022
Calvert Library…your destination for imagination, information and inspiration!
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