The estimated reading time for this post is 3 minutes
Whether your reading list includes fun beach reads, tantalizing tech tales, or school assignments, you should check out OverDrive, your source for free books. OverDrive supplies ebooks, audiobooks and more via public libraries in over 40 countries around the world.
About OverDrive
If you’re a cardholder of a participating library, you can borrow ebooks and audiobooks from OverDrive for free without even having to visit the library. You can check out books and read them from your tablet, ereader, smartphone, or computer.
OverDrive has over 2 million ebook, audiobook and video titles in its collection. Check out OverDrive’s collection to see which books are available. You’ll find titles from New York Times bestsellers and new arrivals to classics.
The most popular books at OverDrive in June (based on checkouts and holds) include:
- Eyes on You, Kate White, HarperCollins
- The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins, Penguin Publishing Group
- Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn Crown, Publishing Group
- All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr, Simon & Schuster
- Fifty Shades of Grey, EL James, Knopf Doubleday Publishing
OverDrive recently set a single-day record for books loaned. On June 29, 2015, OverDrive users borrowed 500,535 digital titles and placed more than 195,000 books on hold.
No Overdue Books or Late Fees
Depending on the book and the library, you can check out a book from OverDrive for a limited period of time, usually 7, 14 or 21 days. This gives you an incentive to actually read the book instead of letting it fester on your device.
No overdue books or late fees with OverDrive. You don’t need to return the book or delete it. No worries about making a trip to the library or forgetting to return your books on time. When the borrowing period is over, the book disappears from your device.
Availability
OverDrive is available for over 30,000 libraries in over 40 countries around the world.
To check if your library is a member of OverDrive, either go to your local library’s website or check the OverDrive website to see if your library is listed. You can search for your library by name or zip code or find it on a map. You can also check to see if your library is an OverDrive member by checking the OverDrive app.
Reading Devices
You can read OverDrive books using your computer and/or the free OverDrive app on your mobile device. OverDrive App
You can also send OverDrive books to your Kindle, Nook or Kobo ereader.
OverDrive is available on:
- Android
- Apple devices
- Chromebook
- Ereaders
- Kindle
- Kobo
- Mac
- MP3 players
- Nook
- OverDrive Listen
- OverDrive Read
- Windows
- Windows Phone
Other OverDrive Items
OverDrive has more to offer beyond ebooks and audiobooks. You can also borrow videos, newspapers and magazines via digital downloads.
Getting Started with OverDrive
The best way to get started is to go to OverDrive’s Getting Started page and follow the instructions for your device.
You can also go to OverDrive’s Getting Started Videos page to get instructions for getting started on each device.
You need to sign up for OverDrive using your library card number. You can ask for OverDrive to send you recommendations based on your genre preferences such as literature, biographies, travel, romance, computers & technology, etc.
[note] You may have to put a book on hold if the title is popular or currently checked out by another library patron. You’ll get an email notifying you when your book becomes available. [/note]
If Your Library Isn’t an OverDrive Member
Not all public libraries offer OverDrive books. If your library doesn’t you may be able to obtain a non-resident library card from a library that does.
These libraries offer non-resident library cards without having to appear in person:
- Fairfax County, VA ($27/year)
- The Free Library of Philadelphia, PA ($50/yr)
- New Orleans Public Library, LA ($50/yr)
Your Thoughts
Have you ever borrowed an ebook or audiobook from your library? Do you like the idea of being able to borrow books any time, day or night? Are you excited about having no late fees for overdue books? Share your thoughts with us in the Comments section below!
* Top OverDrive image used with permission of OverDrive
** Ebooks image (edited) courtesy of Michael Porter via Flickr and Creative Commons
Hi Carolyn,
My local library does eBooks but I don’t think it’s this service. I must find out how I use the service so I can get history books. It says I need a library card (got one) a pin number, an adobe ID and an app. I suppose it might get simpler in time! My council complicates everything.
I’ve been photographing the Black Country festival events, only a week left now, but there will be a canal festival in September. I even photographed a burlesque dancer. 🙂
Hi Mike, Yes, OverDrive is very popular in the UK so your local library may be a member.
Very cool you are shooting so many local events, Mike! I bet you’re becoming a celebrity among the locals in your area.
I have been a faithful user of Overdrive on my iPad for quite some time. I love it. My library does not often have the most up to date books, and when they do the copies are limited and it often take a long time on the hold option. I am patient and eventually it will come. On occasion it gets confusing when I want to send a book to my husband’s kindle. I’m sure that is my own inept technical skills. I haven’t tried to put it on my small iphone and that would be hard to read anyway. Thanks for keeping us up to date, Carolyn.
Hi Pat, Yes, you have many options in reading OverDrive books: your computer, tablet, Kindle or phone. You may want to watch the Kindle video on OverDrive to see the steps to get an OverDrive book on your husband’s Kindle. I don’t know the last time you tried, but the process has gotten easier.
You could also ask your local librarian to help you. Librarians are generally a very helpful bunch (at least our local librarians are) and they may be able to show you the easiest way to get an OverDrive book on the Kindle.
I agree with you about reading books on a phone, but I’ve done it twice. I didn’t mean to, it just happened. I had free time, a Kindle book, and ended up finishing it. That happened two times.
But I’ve never finished a book on my iPad. Too many other distracting apps! The Kindle ereader is my favorite device for reading. I hope you’re able to get OverDrive books on your husband’s Kindle successfully, Pat.
i’ve enjoyed Overdrive for a couple years now, but something i’ve always wondered about….is there a blog or ANYTHING that i could access that would tell me what the new arrivals are? I love audiobooks and always TRY to get the latest, but will ALWAYS end up on the wait list. Is there a way to find out what’s coming so i can “pre-order”?
Hi Dianne, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! It’s wonderful to hear from a fellow fan of OverDrive.
Great question! Yes, you can sign up for OverDrive’s email newsletter to find out about upcoming titles.
Here’s how to sign up:
Then you can be alerted when new titles in your favorite genres are going to be released.
You should also check with your library to see if they have any recommendations about how to find out about new titles.
Happy reading, Dianne!
hey Carolyn,
I got email of this post as i subscribed to news letter , i just opened the link i started reading , on each word i was like what will next surprise by overDrive , seriously Carolyn this post is the best post i ever read from the time i subscribed i have a kindle and i was so happy to read that overdrive is available for kindle too , hhaaahah no late fees for overdue books this made me laugh as when ever i go to library i use to borrow books but i always forget to return it on time i pay them the late fine, boundation like i can just borrow book from library from 8AM to 7PM aah overdrive is just an awesome , going to find library near me with these features 😀
Thanx again Carolyn for this wonderful post , i always enjoy reading the post written by you 🙂
Hi Ashutosh, Fantastic! I’m so glad you’re going to be making good use of OverDrive, Ashutosh. You’re right, once you’re signed up with OverDrive you can start enjoying free ebooks on your Kindle anywhere, any time. You don’t have to worry about when the library is open or returning books. You couldn’t have an overdue library book with OverDrive even if you wanted to! One less thing to worry about is always great.
Thank you for your kind words and for subscribing to The Wonder of Tech, Ashutosh!
Hi Carolyn
As always nice to come here and learn something new. Many services like this one are often not available in little Denmark, but I can see that my local library does actually use OverDrive 🙂 The only issue is that I don’t have a login there yet. Have not been in my local library for more than 10 years I think 🙂
Hi Thomas, Wow, that’s so great that you have OverDrive at your library in Denmark! I’m so pleased to be able to introduce you to such a useful, free service.
You’re not alone, if you haven’t been to your local library lately you may be missing out on helpful services such as OverDrive. I’m on the Board of Trustees of our local library and it has done an excellent job of staying relevant into the 21st century.
I hope that you’re able to visit your local library soon, sign up for a card and start enjoying OverDrive, Thomas!
Over 30 000 libraries and 40 countries allover the world makes Overdrive a very impressive source for e-books. Will definitely give it a try and here comes the best part-it’s free!!!
Hi Vanessa, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, OverDrive is a very impressive service. I hope your local library is a member of OverDrive. If not, you should suggest that they join OverDrive.
Happy reading, Vanessa!
Hi Carolyn,
It’s a long time since I last checked on your blog…how are you?
Overdrive seem a perfect option for reading books – especially, ones that cannot be got locally…for bookworms like me, this post really held my attention. Really.
However, I noticed two obvious limitations:
1. I am not a member of any library affiliated to Overdrive;
2. I am currently resident in Nigeria and many of the books on the Overdrive platform are clearly not available in my region.
Any way around these challenges?
Do enjoy the day!
Always,
Akaahan Terungwa
Hi Terungwa, Great to see you back here at The Wonder of Tech! Yes, OverDrive is a perfect companion for bookworms. You never have to be without a free, great book to read with OverDrive!
In the article I linked to three libraries in the US that offer library cards to non-residents for a fee:
Fairfax County, VA
The Free Library of Philadelphia, PA
New Orleans Public Library, LA
I don’t know if they provide cards to non-US residents, but you can check. You could also search to see if any libraries in Nigeria provide cards to non-residents of their area.
Good luck, Terungwa! I hope OverDrive works for you.
My local library uses overdrive, it works well. But most of the books I read are not available on overdrive. I’ve used it on my kindle and android devices and the app works well.
Hi Jason, Good point, not all books are available on OverDrive. And not all OverDrive books are available from all member libraries. If a book is available on OverDrive but not through your local library, you may wish to ask your local library to add that book to their OverDrive collection.