NetLibrary or Digital Catalogue* eBooks for eReaders

* Currently, bestseller fiction eBooks are only available from London Public Library's Digital Catalogue. Elgin County Library patrons may acquire a free London Public Library card by registering at any LPL branch with proof of identification.

Important considerations before you begin:

• Sony eReader and Kobo are the most common examples of eReaders that can be used to borrow eBooks from public library collections because they are compatible with ePUB and PDF file formats. Kindle, iPhone and iPad are all restricted to files of proprietary format and cannot be used to download library eBooks.

• The library is unable to support download and transfer of eBooks in our branches due to copyright restrictions. You will need to have a PC at home to use this service.

• Also as a result of copyright issues, users may encounter some difficulty changing the size of the fonts on ePUB books downloaded from public library web sites, although this has improved greatly. The font size on PDF files may be increased by modifying the percentage of magnification the same way you would on your desktop (eg. increase the view from 100% to 150% or higher).

• You will need to download Adobe Digital Editions before you can download eBooks to your PC from either netLibrary or London's Digital Catalogue (OverDrive)

• You will need to set up an Adobe Account and link it to your copy of Adobe Digital Editions before you can begin. Once you have set up your account, link it to Adobe Digital Editions by going to the Library menu and selecting “Authorize Computer”. You will be prompted to enter the ID and password you just created for your Adobe Account.

• The first time you connect your eReader to your computer, you will need to “Authorize the device” for use with Adobe Digital Editions. If Adobe Digital Editions does not open automatically when you plug in your eReader, launch the program manually.

• If you choose to download eBooks from netLibrary, you also need to set up a netLibrary account. Look for the link to “Create a Free Account” to get started.

• If you choose to download eBooks from London Public Library’s Digital Catalogue, you will need to have your LPL library card number ready.

NetLibrary Downloads from Elgin County Library

To check out and download an eBook to your computer:

1. Search for the eBook that you want to download.

2. Click the Show Details link for the title to view the eBook Details page.

3. Click Check Out & Download this eBook.

4. If prompted, log in to your NetLibrary account.

5. Click the Download this eContent button on the Download this eContent page.

6. Click Open in the file download box that appears.

The eBook downloads and opens in Adobe Digital Editions. The eBook PDF file is saved to the My Digital Editions folder in the My Documents folder on your computer.

Note: If you click Save in the file download box, you save an ACSM file on your computer. Double-click the file to open it in Adobe Digital Editions.

7. Enjoy reading the eBook in Adobe Digital Editions, or transfer it to an eReader.

Digital Catalogue (OverDrive) Downloads from London Public Library

To check out and download an eBook to your computer:

1. Search for the eBook that you want to download in the Digital catalogue.

2. Click the Add to Cart link for the title.

3. Click Proceed to Checkout.

4. If prompted, enter your London Public Library card number and click Login.

5. Choose whether you would like to borrow the item for 7 or 14 days and Confirm Checkout.

6. Click Download, and then Open in the file download box that appears.

The eBook downloads and opens in Adobe Digital Editions. The eBook PDF file is saved to the My Digital Editions folder in the My Documents folder on your computer.

Note: If you click Save in the file download box, you save an ACSM file on your computer. Double-click the file to open it in Adobe Digital Editions.

7. Enjoy reading the eBook in Adobe Digital Editions, or transfer it to an eReader.

Transfer an eBook to a portable device

After you download an eBook to your computer, you can transfer it to a compatible portable device. Simply plug your device into your computer, look for the device icon in the left hand menu in Adobe Digital Editions, and drag the eBook title to the icon.

What happens when the eBook expires?

The cover art remains on the eReader, but when you try to open the file, it is blank. Unfortunately, eReaders don’t provide a message that “the rights have expired”.

How do you remove the cover art that refers back to expired loans?

Connect your eReader to your computer and go into Adobe Digital Editions. You should see the items you had checked out with an indicator on them that the file is expired. Click on the cover and press the Delete key. The item will be removed from both Adobe Digital Editions and your eReader.