Category: E-Books

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season.  From the increase in questions about devices at the Reference desk, it appears e-readers and tablets were among the most popular gifts this season.  As you may know, the library offers downloadable e-books and audiobooks for use on computers, smartphones, and other digital devices.  As a general rule, if your device has a color display, the process for downloading items involves installing an app on your device.  The procedure for downloading to black & white devices varies by device (details in links below).

If you received a digital device for the holidays, or if you just want to learn more about them before you buy, read on for links to some of helpful information sources.

1.  iPad
About.com’s blog on all things iPad
Apple’s support site for iPad
iPad Academy
iPad for Dummies
Downloading library books to your iPad

2. Android Tablets (Google Nexus, Galaxy Tab, ASUS Transformer Pad, etc.)
Android 4.0 User Manual
How to use Android 4 tablets – basics (video)
Nexus Help
Nexus 7 for Dummies
Samsung Galaxy Tab for Dummies
Downloading library books to your Android tablet

3. Kindle Fire(s)
Amazon’s Kindle Support Page
Kindle Fire Tutorial Videos
Kindle Fire for Dummies
Downloading library books to your Kindle Fire

4. Other Kindles
Amazon’s Kindle Support Page
Kindle for Dummies
Downloading library books to your black & white Kindle
OverDrive Video Tutorials for Kindle

5. Nook Tablets (Color, HD, HD+)
Barnes & Noble Nook Support Page
Nook Tablet for Dummies
Nook Tablet Videos
Downloading library books to your Nook Tablet

6. Other Nooks
Barnes & Noble Nook Support Page
Nook eReader for Dummies
Nook Simple Touch Videos
Downloading library books to your Nook

7. Microsoft Surface
Unboxing the Microsoft Surface (video)
Microsoft Surface for Dummies
OverDrive Holiday Gadget Close-Up – Microsoft Surface
Downloading library books to your Microsoft Surface (Windows Phone App)

Do you have a gadget not listed here that you need help with?  Let me know in the comments, and I will be happy to add resources to this post.

Happy e-reading!

Earlier this month, I reported the release of OverDrive Media Console for Nook Color (also Nook HD, Nook HD+, Nook Tablet), to be found in the Nook Apps storefront. [OverDrive’s announcement]  This allows patrons to download ePub e-books and mp3 audiobooks directly to the device.  Today, I am pleased to announce there is now an OverDrive Media Console app for Kindle Fire, available in the Amazon App Store for Android. [OverDrive’s announcement]  This app will be especially helpful for downloading those titles that previously required download to a computer and USB transfer to the device, as well as those user who would like to download audiobooks from the library.

In other news, an update to the OverDrive Media Console app (ver. 2.6) has been released. [Overdrive’s announcement]  Some of the improvements include support for iPhone 5, support for the action bar in Android, a redesigned audiobook player, and the ability to share what you are reading to your social media (Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.) profiles.  If you app is outdated, you will be prompted to update next time you open it.

To learn more about how to download and set up the OverDrive Media Console app on your device, please check out our OverDrive Mobile help page.

If you own a Nook color and find the process of downloading our e-media to your computer and then transferring it to you device to be laborious, we have good news!  There is now a free OverDrive Media Console app for download in the Nook app store.  Just visit the store from your Nook Color to download it, and you will have instant, on-the-go access to our ePub e-books and mp3 audiobooks.  If you already have an Adobe ID from using Adobe Digital Editions on your computer, you can reuse it when registering your device with the app.  For more information on how to set up the app to work with our library books, please see the mobile devices help page on our website .