[OPLINLIST] Overdrive, or Out of Gas?

Thu Oct 9 12:50:09 EDT 2014

After buying my dad a Kindle, I was describing to him how to check out 
library ebooks from Overdrive. Go here to find his library’s Overdrive 
site, sign in, find an ebook, select the Kindle version, checkout, sign 
in to his Amazon account, etc. He looked at me skeptically and asked, 
“They expect people to figure all this out?”

They do. Overdrive does try to help, with an extensive support site 
<http://help.overdrive.com/>. But just as much, the site highlights how 
complex and fragmented their system is. They’re “getting started” 
<http://help.overdrive.com/customer/portal/articles/1481729-getting-started-with-overdrive> 
article links to 13 detailed guide sections, which include multiple 
sub-guides and quite a few videos <http://help.overdrive.com/#videos>.

But the videos, too, only show parts of the process. The Kindle 
Fire–perhaps the e-reader most easily integrated to Overdrive–has 8 
instructional videos available in its section, and none show the process 
from start to finish. It’s no surprise that people drop their devices on 
library reference desks in frustration.

That’s where we come in, whether we’re eager to troubleshoot patrons’ 
devices or not. If Overdrive’s documentation isn’t good enough, we can 
make it better. Have you created instructions or support documents for 
Overdrive or other digital assets? If you’re willing to share them, send 
them to nathan at swonlibraries.org <mailto:nathan at swonlibraries.org> and 
we’ll post them to our website. Or share what you want at instruction 
guide to include. Let’s see what we can build, together.

  * Nathan Swartzendruber, Technology Educator

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    Overdrive Support: More Than One

No patron wants to hear, “Sorry, there’s only one person on staff who 
can help you with ebooks, and she’s not here right now.” It can be a 
challenge to get more staff trained, though, especially if you don’t 
have devices to practice with.

At *SWON’s Staff Training Symposium 
<http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=442472&group=>*–*just 
two weeks away*–one of our break-out sessions covers Overdrive. It’s not 
just an informational session. You’ll see live demos of Overdrive and 
the steps required to load ebooks onto devices.

Add some Overdrive support at your library at the Staff Training 
Symposium at Boone County Public Library in Burlington (KY) on October 
22nd: Register here 
<http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=442472&group=>.

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Connect to SWON online: Website <http://www.swonlibraries.org/> : 
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Calendar excerpts from the next two weeks. (Please register for online 
classes at least two days before they take place.)

  * *Children’s Literature Review (SIG) Meeting
    <http://swonlibraries.site-ym.com/events/event_details.asp?id=437565&group=>*
    - (10/9/2014) - Kenton County Public Library, Covington Branch
  * *Books by the Banks <http://booksbythebanks.org>* - (10/11/2014) -
    Duke Energy Convention Center, Cincinnati
  * *Level-Up Lab: School Library Value
    <http://swonlibraries.site-ym.com/events/event_details.asp?id=477425&group=>*
    - (10/14/2014) - SWON Meeting Room
  * *ROYAL Literature Review (SIG) Meeting
    <http://swonlibraries.site-ym.com/events/event_details.asp?id=437571&group=>*
    - (10/14/2014) - Lane Public Libraries, Fairfield
  * *I’m a Manager- Now What? Things You Didn’t Learn in Library School
    <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=488048&group=>* -
    (10/16/2014) - Online
  * *iPads, Mobile Devices, and the Library
    <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=494634&group=>* -
    (10/16/2014) - Online
  * *CLEAR Review (SIG) Meeting
    <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=437150&group=>* -
    (10/17/2014) - SWON Meeting Room
  * *Sustainable Preservation Practices: A Partnership of Facilities and
    Collections Care Staff
    <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=447521&group=>* -
    (10/21/2014) - State Library of Ohio
  * *National Colloquium on Library Special Collections
    <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=465251&group=>* -
    (10/21–10/22/2014) - Cleveland, OH
  * *Technical Services (SIG) Meeting
    <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=437620&group=>* -
    (10/21/2014) - Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County, Main
    Branch
  * */SWON’s Staff Training Symposium
    <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=442472&group=>/*
    - (10/22/2014) - Boone County Public Library, Main Branch,
    Burlington, KY

SWON Libraries - http://www.swonlibraries.org<http://www.swonlibraries.org>
10250 Alliance Road, Suite 225
Blue Ash, OH 45242
phone (513) 751-4422 - fax (513) 751-0463
To subscribe or be removed from SWON's Events list, click 
here:http://lists.swonlibraries.org/mailman/listinfo/events
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