OverDrive
OverDrive Digital Library
Downloadable audiobooks, eBooks, magazines and streaming videos for Garland Library card holders
- Listen to MP3 audiobooks
- Read eBook, PDF, Kindle and/or graphic novels
- Read magazines
- Watch streaming videos
- Audiobooks and eBooks can be used on a PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone
- Videos can be watched in the OverDrive app or in your browser
- Libby app for iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile
Libby - the OverDrive app!
Meet Libby
Libby Instructions (313 KB)
Libby app in a browser
Original OverDrive App (legacy app - support ended february 2022)
Instructions for downloading outside the app:
Downloading audio books to your computer (PDF 238 KB)
Downloading to Kindle or Kindle App (PDF 96 KB)
OverDrive Help & Support links:
OverDrive Help - Search for answers and/or watch how-to videos
Libby Help - Learn about Libby and how it works
Device Resource Center - A snapshot of how popular devices can be used with OverDrive
OverDrive status - A site for determining if OverDrive is experiencing performance issues
OverDrive Downloadable Books Tutorial
OVERDRIVE UPDATES
OverDrive has ended support for older operating systems. The following is now in effect:
- Libby’s minimum Apple iOS version is now iOS 10. To use Libby on an iOS device, users are required to update their device’s operating system to iOS 10 or newer. These are the steps to help iOS users update their operating system version.
- The legacy OverDrive for Mac desktop app is only supported on macOS versions 10.12.1 through 10.14.
- Users on legacy web browsers may experience issues loading libbyapp.com or our OverDrive website and should upgrade to a newer browser version, if possible.
The expectation was that affected users would receive a security warning when support ended but we’ve since learned that a warning is not always displayed. Users may experience issues with signing in, borrowing, loading the app’s content, etc. For more information and troubleshooting tips, check out Libby Help and OverDrive Help. If you have any questions, please contact Lib-Support.
OverDrive will be sunsetting the legacy OverDrive app. This will enable OverDrive and libraries to focus on Libby as the primary app for users to enjoy and engage with our digital library.
For the first step, OverDrive will remove the OverDrive app from the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Microsoft Store in February 2022.
How this initial change will impact users:
- Current OverDrive app users can continue to use the app.
- New users looking for the OverDrive app will be directed to Libby.
- All users can continue to use, borrow, and open titles from your library’s OverDrive website via a browser.
In future phases, OverDrive will be actively encouraging OverDrive app users to switch to Libby, with a goal of moving most over by the end of 2022.
OverDrive Magazines
Unlimited access to over 3,000 titles, including top titles like:
- US Weekly
- National Geographic
- Good Housekeeping
- Vanity Fair
- Rolling Stone
- Cook's Illustrated
Magazines - OverDrive website https://nmls.overdrive.com/library/magazines
Magazines - Libby App in a browser: https://libbyapp.com/library/nmls
Magazines can be checked out for 7 or 21 days and can be renewed. Digital magazines have no wait lists or holds and do not count towards your 10 checkout limit.
The magazines can best be accessed through the Libby app or Libby app in a browser. Readers can browse lists of magazines within the app and search to find available titles.
If you aren't able to use the Libby App on your device (such as a Kindle Fire), you can access the Libby app in any browser at https://libbyapp.com/library/nmls. This alternative has the same titles as Libby, but offers slightly different features and device compatibility. The article view feature is only available in Libby.
OverDrive Streaming Videos
Great news! We have added hundreds of streaming videos to our OverDrive library.
OverDrive videos:
- Part of your 10 item checkout limit
- They check out for seven days and can be enjoyed for 24 hours once you start viewing
Getting started with streaming video from your library
Garland Library cardholders can borrow and watch free shows, movies, and more. Videos are streaming only and can’t be downloaded, so you’ll need an internet connection to watch them. Vdeos will play right in your web browser.
Note: Streaming videos can consume a lot of data, so we recommend streaming over a Wi-Fi connection.
How to watch streaming videos
To get started, borrow a streaming video from your library. Then:
- Using your computer’s web browser (like Chrome or Safari), select Watch now in browser to start watching in a new tab.
What devices and browsers work best
Streaming videos work on computers and Windows 8 and 10 devices as long as you have:
- Adobe Flash Player
- An up-to-date web browser, like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer 10 or newer, or Safari
How can I find the permissions for streaming videos and what do they mean?
Some videos have extra permissions (digital rights) that are set by the publisher. These permissions determine how you can watch the video once you borrow it. You can view a video’s permissions from its details page by opening the Details tab.
Permissions can include:
- Expires: Once you start watching this video, it will expire from your library account after a set amount of time (24 hours), even if there are extra days left in your lending period.
- Public performance: The publisher does (or does not) allow this video to be played in a public setting (like a classroom or public library).
- Playback limited: You can only watch this video from certain geographic regions (like the United States or Canada), and/or you can only watch this video from a certain number of IP addresses.