E-Books at OPL: The Why, Where, What, Who, How & When

Why eBooks?

You probably already know this, but OPL patrons love eBooks. As the Overdrive graph below reflects, eBook circulation has mushroomed over the past 4 ½ years since we signed on with Overdrive. Use has finally plateaued somewhat over the past year in the neighborhood of 7,000 checkouts and 2,500 unique users each month. Factoring in  eAudio and our other electronic platforms (although Overdrive is overwhelmingly the most used), we should regard our eMedia presence as a busy OPL branch of its own.

Our patrons are part of a burgeoning nationwide eBook trend, according to two Pew Research studies: Overall book readership stable, but e-books becoming more popular and E-Reading Rises as Device Ownership Jumps. Notably, almost half of readers under 30 read an e-book in the past year.

Where can patrons access eBooks?

Along with Overdrive, our OPL eBook page links to 3M Cloud Library (over 1,500 popular new titles), Enki (a shared, open-source eBook Network featuring mostly self-published and smaller presses), and Always Available Classics (public domain). MARC records are loaded monthly, so patrons should be able to discover most eBooks right in our catalog, instead of having to check for them in different platforms. Additionally, both Overdrive and 3M are now integrated into our catalog, which means that patrons can check out, check in, and place and manage holds on titles found in Encore from their My Encore library account without going to OverDrive or 3M platforms. 

Challenge question: Look up The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt in Encore. How many digital copies do we have on Overdrive? How many on 3M?

What can they expect to find?

Some of the eBooks we purchase are the latest popular titles on bestseller lists and topping our own print holds queues, but the most substantial portion of our eBook collection comes to us through Patron Driven Acquisition and we maintain a maximum ratio of 1 digital copy per 6 holds. eBook circulation tends heavily towards the new, so we rarely order back list content unless it is requested. The vast majority of eBook circulation, and therefore content, is still for adult titles.

We also currently have some hundreds of Chinese and Spanish titles, as well as 50 Russian titles.

Challenge: Find a title on Overdrive that we don't currently have, and recommend it through the Recommend to Library feature. (You will need to have an Overdrive account.) Tell us the title in your comments below and check the catalog to see if we already have it on 3M. Note: You may recommend one title per week.

Who are the publishers included on these platforms?

While the "Big Five" publishers are now all making eBook titles available to libraries, they still limit access by pricing and license limitations, and restrict full purchases.

Hachette - Pricing is 3 times retail price. OPL keeps content.

HarperCollins - Leased titles expire after 26 checkouts.

Penguin - Leased titles expire after 12 months.

MacMillan - Leased titles expire after either 24 months or 52 checkouts.

Simon & Schuster - Leased titles expire after 12 months.

Additionally, we are not able to get every eBook title that is available on the retail side, which you may have noticed when you were looking up titles to recommend, though most of the major new titles seem to be available these days.

Many other publishers have made their content available on Overdrive and 3M, where there of course is a lot of crossover. 

How does one get started?

Since Overdrive is our primary eBook platform, and it is looking likely that it will continue to be so, let's focus there.

You can find information for most devices on the OverDrive Help Page.  If you don't see your device listed there, you can also try the OverDrive Device Resource Center. Sonoma County Library has additionally created some nifty Youtube videos demonstrating how to get started on Kindle, Nook or ios devices.

Some nuts and bolts: Your checkout limit is 10 titles total of any media type. You have the option of checking out e-Books for either 7, 14, or 21 days and renewals are permitted if there are no holds on the title. You can place up to 5 holds on your account at a time.

Browse by a wide array of facets, or enter either a basic or advanced search:

Once you have signed in to your Overdrive account, you can place a hold or check out any OPL-owned title. It will remain on your bookshelf until it expires or you return it, where it can be downloaded or read in your browser:

Remember, once MARC records have been entered in the catalog, all of this can also be done without ever having to leave the catalog.

Challenge: Under eBook Non-fiction at the top of the home screen you should be able to find “Health & Fitness”. Which of the 172 titles under this topic has received an overall patron rating of 4 or higher? Hint: Facets can be narrowed on the left-hand side of the screen.

When are there additional eBook training opportunities? 

Friday, March 27th from 9:30 - 11:00
If you would like to learn more, you should attend the Training Committee's upcoming Overdrive Refresher in the Main Library Computer Lab.

(As with all Training Committee events, please fill out our Super Generic Training Registration form: https://staff.oaklandlibrary.org/content/generic-non-fee-training-approval-form, get your supervisor’s initials on it, and interoffice, email, or fax it to Crystal Ramie-Adams in FASO.)

Additionally, eResources Librarian Andrew Demcak (ADemcak@oaklandlibrary.org) is available to teach you and your staff about various eReaders and tablets onsite at your branch. Contact him to set up a time.

Finally, patrons can regularly find eBook workshops throughout OPL locations.

Questions? Contact Tamar Kirschner at TKirschner@oaklandlibrary.org.