Searching for ebooks

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 7 Searching for ebooks Overview: How to browse, search, and borrow ebooks from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Student Skill Level: Advanced Requirements: Library card, mouse & Internet skills Objectives: Learn how to Access Library ebooks Sign in to Your Account Learn how to Browse for ebooks Search for ebooks Place a Hold or Borrow an ebook Revised To see a list of upcoming computer classes go to: or call (716)

2 Page 2 of 7 The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library offers a vast selection of ebooks, Audiobooks and videos for its patrons to check out and access on their home computers and portable devices. To begin, start from the Library s homepage, and click on the logo for Downloads 2 GO. Access Library ebooks Now that you are on the Downloads 2 Go page you will see links to browse ebooks, Audiobooks, and videos. Note that you can also browse recently added items. Click Help at the top of this page. Clicking Help leads to: OverDrive Help - search for your question, watch videos, view troubleshooting advice and locate information on particular devices. Applications download OverDrive or Adobe Digital Editions. Library Lending Policies click to view how many items you can borrow, etc. Support troubleshooting assistance

3 Page 3 of 7 Click Account at the top of the page to sign in. Your Account Enter the number that appears on the back of your library card. Omit the letter A if your card begins with A. Click Sign In. Click Bookshelf to view any items you have checked out. This will be demonstrated on page 6. Click Holds to view any items you have placed on hold. This will be demonstrated on page 6. Click Lists to view items you have added to your wish list. Click Settings to set your default lending options. After choosing 3, 5, 7 or 14 days, click Save. TIP: The loan periods selected will apply to all items borrowed within that format (ebook, Audiobook, Video).

4 Page 4 of 7 Browse ebooks Click Menu to view the browsing categories again. The example below shows ebook Fiction. Click All Fiction. The example on the right shows 4 ebooks in the Library s collection. A. Notice that the first two ebooks have a book icon in the upper right corner that is black. This means that a book is currently available. It can be borrowed. B. The third and fourth books have a book icon that is grayed out. This means that the book is currently unavailable. A hold can be placed for the book. A B If you only want to view available titles, click Available Now under Show me on the left side of the page. Your screen will refresh and only show titles with a black book icon in the upper right corner of the book cover. Note the filtering options on the left side of the page. Multiple filters can be used at the same time.

5 Page 5 of 7 Search for ebooks If there is a specific title or author that you are looking for, try searching for it in the search bar at the top of the page. Click Advanced search if you are looking for something in a particular Format. By using the Advanced Search option you may limit your results to a specific format of ebook (Kindle Book, EPUB, PDF) or Audiobook (MP3, WMA). Since each title is limited to a certain number of loans at one time, you may want to check the box next to Show only titles with copies available and click Search. This will narrow the list to titles that have at least one copy currently available to check out and download.

6 Place a Hold or Borrow an ebook Page 6 of 7 When you find a book that you are interested in, mouse over the cover picture. If there are no copies available, you can Place a Hold. Click more to view details about the ebook including the number of patrons on the holds list. This will add your name to the waiting list. It s free! You will then be asked to provide an address so that you can be contacted when the title is available. Check the box in front of Automatically borrow this title when it becomes available. You will receive an when the title has been automatically checked out for you. You must return to the Downloads 2 GO website to access the title on your bookshelf.

7 Page 7 of 7 When you find a book that you are interested in and it is available to check out, mouse over the cover picture. Then click more to open a page with more detailed information. The lending period will be based on your default settings. To change this, click Change your lending period. Please remember, any change made will apply to this and any future checkouts in the format being updated. Make sure the correct format is available for your device. The number of copies available will also be listed. To check the title out, click Borrow. Click more to view details about the ebook. This is your Bookshelf. Click the drop down arrow next to Download and check the correct format for your If you device. aren t logged in, you will be prompted to enter your library card number. Then click Confirm & Download. Please see our device specific training guides and videos (ipad, Kindle ereader, Nook ereader, etc) for detailed borrowing instructions relevant to each device. Enjoy your ebook!