The library continues to expand its collection of ebook titles. We now have close to 4,000 books available for you to download to your new ereader. Compatible ebook reading devices are listed on the OverDrive website.

First, just to be clear, Amazon Kindles do not support borrowing library ebooks. The Kindle is a great device, but you will need to purchase bestsellers for it from Amazon and cannot borrow books from us. 

I have tried out the Nook from Barnes & Noble as well as the Sony Reader (a few different versions) and they work quite well with our collections. Check out some tutorials from an earlier blog post to get started with borrowing from the library. 

If we do not yet have your favorite author or series, please drop us a line using the Ask A Librarian form online.  We do our best to add titles that you request!

If you want to puchase titles instead of wait in line for the library copy, you can check out the "Buy It Now" links under many of our latest titles. Any purchases you make through this service will also partly benefit the library's ebook purchasing program!

Tags: ebooks

Just in time for the holidays, you can now download ebooks to your iPhone, iPod Touch and Android device! It only appears to work  with EPUB formatted ebooks, not PDFs, at this time. You can still use Bluefire to download PDFs and you will still need to use Bluefire for the iPad until that app gets released.  See my post on Bluefire for more information.

I've only been able to test it on an iPhone so far, but I do love the new "Get Books" feature where you can save the Free Library of Philadelphia as your library so you have a quick link to our content right from the app.

If you have found some fun features in the Android release, please post them in the comments for everyone to learn from!

Tags: ebooks

While iPad and iPhone users are waiting patiently for OverDrive to release the new iPad/iPhone apps, we have discovered a workaround for getting OverDrive ebooks onto an iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad. I've tried this out on my iPhone and my iPad and it works like a charm, but is a bit tricky for novice users.

Please keep in mind that this is a workaround and is for EXPERT users only.

A librarian in Oregon has worked out the following:

The free Bluefire Reader eBook app (for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch) was recently updated to allow transfer/reading of Adobe-DRM-protected eBooks. This means that you *can* read OverDrive ebooks on your iOS device!

The app is a free download from the iTunes app store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bluefire-reader/id394275498

Once you have the app, go ahead and check out an ebook in OverDrive.  After that, you can try one of these methods to transfer the ebook to your device. I recommend only using EPUBs, not PDFs.  PDFs don't display well, especially on the smaller devices.

1)      Download ebooks into Adobe Digital Editions, then transfer the files via iTunes' file transfer feature.

A nice tutorial of this method is available on the Bluefire site.

2)      Download the .acsm file from OverDrive, email it yourself, and open the attachment in your iOS device's mail app.

(Here is a brief tutorial on the above two methods: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1572127/bf2.pdf)

3)      Create a javascript "bookmarklet" in Safari on your iOS device that will allow downloads to take place entirely on the iOS device. Here is the code for such a bookmarklet, and the current version is available here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1572127/bfr_bookmarklet_1.1.txt.  General instructions for installing/using this bookmarklet (featuring an older version of the code) can be found here: http://www.pigsgourdsandwikis.com/2010/11/reading-library-ebooks-with-bluefire.html

This is the one that I like the best.  It is pretty tricky, though. When you go to the OverDrive site to download, you must make sure you are not on the mobile version of the OverDrive site. To do that I had to change the URL for the mobile site where it said  /40/20/ to /10/354/ . This took me to the non-mobile site, and I was then able to download the books directly on my iPhone! I bookmarked the non-mobile URL so I don't have to remember those numbers next time. 

4)      The app also features a "hidden" wireless transfer option, which can transfer files from a desktop machine (provided you have the URL of the .acsm file, or the local network location of the downloaded eBook). Let us know in the comments if you get this working!

I am still excited about the hopefully soon to be released OverDrive app for iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch, but the Bluefire app goes a long way in bridging the gap before we get the official release!

Note: If you cannot get this to work, please search google for tutorials and support for the BlueFire app. This app is not supported by the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Tags: ebooks

So, of course, you have heard that Jonathan Franzen's latest book Freedom is the new Oprah Book Club pick.  After the controversy over picking The Corrections a few years ago, the rumors that she would pick his latest bestseller seemed absurd, but Oprah is always one for forgiveness and redemption. 

The Library has quite a few copies of Freedom (downloadable audiobook available, too!), but the wait list is getting longer by the minute.  While you wait for the email or call that lets you know your copy is at your local branch waiting for you, check out The Corrections or some of the other great Oprah hits from recent years. You can also check out my list of book club picks for ideas for your next book club discussion.

If you already have your hands on this hot book, visit Oprah's book club page for reading guides, a bio of Franzen, and other resources to inspire you as you read.

Want a chance to meet Franzen in person? He'll be appearing at the Free Library next Thursday, September 23 as part of our award-winning Author Events series! Auditorium seats are sold out, but you can still purchase simulcast tickets online or by calling 1-800-595-4TIX (4849).

Let us know what your favorite Oprah book club books are in the comments. 

There are a number of fantastic tutorials that people have put together to walk you through using your ebook readers.  Below are two that I have found helpful.

OverDrive Digital Media Tutorials - Videos introducing the OverDrive service (downloadable ebooks, video, music, and audiobooks) and walking you through using the materials in detail

Loading books with Adobe Digital Editions on your Nook - Shows step by step what to do to get your ebooks onto your Nook.  While this video says it is for the Nook, it covers the basic steps you need to take for most readers to use our ebooks.

Do you have a favorite tutorial or website that has helped you with our downloadable collections?  Let me know in the comments!

Tags: ebooks