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eReading Room
eBooks, New and Improved: Place Holds, Download, and Manage Your Account in BiblioCommons
It's now easier to download and request holds on EPUB, PDF, Kindle and e-audio, music and video (a.k.a. OverDrive) while in the library catalog, BiblioCommons. You no longer have to sign in to a separate site with your barcode.
Your electronic holds and checked out items will appear alongside physical books and materials you have out, so you can better prioritize your must-read list!
Here's an overview of the changes.
Here you can see an ebook and a print book appearing together in search results. Choose "Check availability," "Request this download," or just click on the title to see if the ebook can be downloaded now or if there is a waiting list.
When an ebook is available to check out (no waiting list) you'll be able to choose your format and lending period and download immediately.
If the item you want is not available, you'll select your format and request to be notified as soon as it is.
Here is how your Holds page will look, with outstanding physical holds and the location where they will be sent, digital holds, and your place in the queue for both. Holds can be canceled, but they cannot be suspended. When you are notified by email that a title is ready to be downloaded, you will see a READY FOR CHECKOUT link appear. You'll then find the item on your Checked Out page...
Here is how your Checked Out page will look, with both physical print materials and digital items together in order of date due. You will see a Download Now button next to digital materials, whether or not the file has already been downloaded.
Please note that as promising as it looks, you still cannot renew digital items. Of course you are welcome to check an item out again once your time is up, as long as there is not a waiting list. If you'd like to return an item early, you can usually do that from your computer or the device you are reading on.
Start downloading ebooks now!
If you don't already have an account in BiblioCommons, get one now. You can create an easier-to-remember username. You can rate, review, and tag items and create lists. You can also install the NYPL app to help you search the catalog and manage your account on the go. Note that while you can see all of your current holds and check outs in the app, you still have to log into ebooks.nypl.org to place holds and download to your mobile device.
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Comments
fantastic upgrade of ebook UI
Submitted by Micki on July 29, 2012 at 2:38 PM.
Hello, NYPL!
Fantastic upgrade of the e-book user interface! It's much easier to understand which books are available, which platform is required, and especially easier to use the Kindle borrowing system! Bravo and brava to your team on these improvements!
--Happy NYPL e-reader!
The library - One of the most important monuments of our culture
Submitted by Anonymous on July 30, 2012 at 3:15 PM.
Very few things are as important to a culture is its information and its availability.
The city has been threatening to restrict access to information due to budget constraints which would constrain the abilities of it's citizens to empowerment, growth, and knowledge.
Now the library has increased it's ability to provide valuable resources.
Thanks.
Jonathan Genkin
Love the upgrade
Submitted by Shanita L. on July 30, 2012 at 6:08 PM.
I am very happy to know that the e-book borrowing process is now easier. I just hope that NYPL will do more to make it clear to patrons that e-books can be returned before the due date. I had to stumble across this information myself. I am hoping that this knowledge will help minimize the wait time for e-books that have been placed on hold.
Thanks for your comment! Here
Submitted by Lauren Lampasone on July 31, 2012 at 1:27 PM.
Thanks for your comment! Here is information about returning digital materials, which I hope will inspire readers to return after enjoying their books. http://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/07/31/how-return-ebooks-early
Dear NYPL, is it possible to
Submitted by alicia on July 31, 2012 at 4:20 AM.
Dear NYPL, is it possible to borrow ebooks from your library if you are in Ireland. I work in a library and we dont have the ebook facility yet?
Kind Regards Alicia Dunphy
Hi Alicia, to be eligible for
Submitted by Lauren Lampasone on July 31, 2012 at 1:34 PM.
Hi Alicia, to be eligible for an NYPL library card one must live, work, attend school or pay taxes in New York State.
Here is a listing of libraries with ebook collections that may allow nonresidents to obtain borrowing privileges, usually by paying a yearly fee. http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/EBook_Lending_Libraries
Returning Kindle ebooks
Submitted by Anonymous on July 31, 2012 at 8:27 AM.
I congratulate you on making it easier to borrow Kindle books, but I would like to know how to return them. I have finished one, and would like to return it before its expiration date, but don't know how to do it. As a matter of fact, I don't know how to return a book when its borrowing period is expiring. Please let me know.
Providing free ebooks is a great service and will certainly increase literacy.
Love the NYPL.
Here is information on
Submitted by Lauren Lampasone on July 31, 2012 at 1:29 PM.
Here is information on returning Kindle books: http://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/07/31/how-return-ebooks-early#kindle
You don't have to do anything once the due date has passed, as the book will no longer be accessible. The post also explains how to delete an expired file so that you don't have to see it in your library once you're done with it.
I pad download
Submitted by CGA on July 31, 2012 at 11:37 AM.
Can e books be downloaded to ipads? If Yes, what option is selected?
Yes! You will need to
Submitted by Lauren Lampasone on July 31, 2012 at 1:22 PM.
Yes! You will need to download the OverDrive Media Console app from iTunes and select EPUB from the catalog. You can also choose the Kindle option if you have the Kindle app.
ebooks
Submitted by Julie on August 7, 2012 at 2:14 PM.
Hi,
I see that it is possible to borrow library books using a KINDLE. Is it also possible with a NOOK??
It is possible to borrow
Submitted by Lauren Lampasone on August 7, 2012 at 3:00 PM.
It is possible to borrow library books with a NOOK. Step by step info here: http://myhelp.overdrive.com/MyHelpMH25
Or download a pdf with full instructions here: http://www.nypl.org/ask-nypl/ebookcentral
You will need to download ebooks to your computer first and then transfer them to your Nook.
ebook lending system
Submitted by Claudia Salceek on August 13, 2012 at 2:07 PM.
Hi Lauren, I'm the librarian at a small library in Santa Fe, Argentina, and I`m very interested in knowing about the ebook lending system that you use at your library. What I would like to know more about is how you manage the recovery of the material lent. Specifically how the material automatically becomes blocked to the reader after the expiry date.
Kind regards Claudia.
Hi Claudia, many public
Submitted by Lauren Lampasone on August 13, 2012 at 4:15 PM.
Hi Claudia, many public libraries in the U.S. use a vendor called OverDrive. We use it both to purchase licenses to materials and to circulate those materials to patrons who borrow books from us. http://www.overdrive.com/Solutions/Libraries/Public/
The technology they use to "recover" material lent includes Adobe DRM and Amazon Kindle. The files we lend are encrypted so that only one end-user can access the file, and the file expires at the end of the loan period and cannot be accessed unless it is checked out again.
Hi Lauren thank you so much
Submitted by Claudia Salceek on August 16, 2012 at 12:46 PM.
Hi Lauren thank you so much for all the helpful information and I am really grateful
kind regards Claudia
ebooks
Submitted by bob on August 13, 2012 at 4:39 PM.
Are the ebooks available in BiblioCommons the same as those listed when using ebooks.nypl.org?
Yes, it is the same inventory
Submitted by Lauren Lampasone on August 13, 2012 at 5:20 PM.
Yes, it is the same inventory of titles, just a different way to access.
'old' books to e-book?
Submitted by Jim I. on August 14, 2012 at 4:04 PM.
I'm curious about the extent that 'old' books will be available in e-book form: I devour 1950-60's mysteries -- Ross MacDonald, John MacDonald, as examples; will books of that vintage be 'upgraded' to e-books in greater numbers than they are presently? Or, will we continue to see recent books in e-form in far greater numbers? Is the process to convert more difficult for older books?
Thanks.
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