E-Books at Cheshire Public Library : a Step-by-Step Guide

          (for Nook, Kobo, Sony eReader, and other Adobe-compatible devices)

Step 1 (Set-up): Download Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) Software to your computer. (You only need to do this once per computer.)

• On your home computer, go to Cheshire Library’s website www.cheshirelibrary.org.  Click “Download Audiobooks & eBooks.” on the right side of the home page.
  

• At the bottom of the Overdrive home page, under “Downloadable software”, click the Adobe Digital Editions link to load ADE on your computer.
• Adobe will prompt you to create a free Adobe ID. You need this unique ID to transfer content to your device.

Note: You can use ADE anonymously, but you will only be able to read e-books on your computer, not transfer them to your device.

• Once you launch the ADE software, it will then prompt you to authorize your computer. You’re ready to check out ebooks!

Step 2: Find Books & Check Out (Limit 4 items at a time)

•    From Cheshire Library’s website www.cheshirelibrary.org,  click on the link on the right side for “Download Audiobooks & eBooks.”

• To get the most accurate listing of available books, click “Log In” link on the upper left of the page. Select “Cheshire Public Library” from the list. Then, enter your 14-digit Cheshire library card number (with no spaces). Once the information is entered, click “Sign In” at the bottom. If you wish to only see titles that are available for immediate checkout, check the box under the search bar that says “Only show titles with available copies”.

•  Add any available book to your Cart. You may also place a hold on any item that has a link that says “Place a Hold.”  These items are currently checked out to someone else, and you will receive an email when it becomes your turn.

•  After placing an item in your cart, you will have the option to continue browsing, or check out.  When you are finished selecting items, click on “Proceed to Checkout”.  This will take you to a page which asks for your home library.

•  After entering the required information, a screen will appear with a summary of the items you are checking out.  You may choose the length of time you would like to have your eBook (7, 14, or 21 days) using the Lending Period drop-down box.  After making your choice, click “Confirm Check Out.”

Step 3: Download  your e-book w/ADE.

• Click “Download This Item“.
•  If ADE does not open automatically, launch it from your Programs menu.
• Your ebook should show in the “Library View”

Step 4: Transfer your e-book to your compatible e-reader device from your computer.

• Connect your device to your computer via the USB port.

•  Open Adobe Digital Editions on your computer. Note: You must activate both ADE and your device with the same Adobe ID to successfully transfer content.

•  When Adobe recognizes your device, it will prompt you to authorize this device (like you did with your computer). If you already used a different Adobe ID on the device, it will prompt you to login with the same ID.

An icon for your device will then appear in the left column under “Bookshelves”.

•  Click and drag the e-book graphic from the right-hand box of your “Library” over this device icon and then let go (when the green + icon appears).
• If the e-book doesn’t automatically show on your device, you may need to check for new content. (For example, on a Nook, select “Go to My Documents” then “Check for new content.”) Some e-books load as “documents” rather that “books”, so check the document file as well.

Due Dates and Check-In When You’re Done

Your e-book is “due” either 7, 14, or 21 days after you checked it out, depending on which option you chose at Check-Out. In ADE, a diagonal ribbon across the book cover shows the remaining check-out days.

If you finish sooner than the due date, you can check-in the item early to be eligible to check-out another e-book (remember, you may have only 4 items out at a time). Once you return it from your ADE library, it is removed from your computer, but it remains on your e-reader device and you can continue reading it for the remaining loan period.

To check-in the e-book, open Adobe Digital Editions on your computer, in the Book Cover view of your Library, click once on the item you want to return to

highlight it. Then click the arrow near the upper left corner of the book cover and choose Return Borrowed Item from the short menu. If you wait until the e-book expires, the file remains in ADE and on your reader in an unreadable form (the diagonal ribbon says “Expired”), so you will want to delete it.

* For iPads/smartphones, you can skip these steps completely and download e-books directly using the Overdrive app. For Kindles, choose the Kindle-compatible format and it will link into your Amazon account and put the Library ebook into your Kindle library.

updated 10/20/11