I was just looking into overdrive and how it works. My local library does not have it, I'll have to go across the bridge and signup a membership at a larger library in GA to get it. I'm trying to decide if its worth it. The drive is 20 mins for me + the membership cost which is somewhere around $35/yr I think.

Who uses overdrive and is it worth setting up or is it just better to stay as is and buy the ebooks? Pros/cons?

Back up the bus, since you asked specific to GA.

Any GA resident can get a GA PINES library card for free (Google for locations). You do have to go in person. They have a decent Overdrive collection. But, if you're going to spend money for a non-resident library card, go play with the big boys and get one to either Free Library of Philadelphia ($35/yr) or Brooklyn Public Library ($50/yr). And, since I specifically know what you read (hehehehe), you want the BPL one. That's the one I have and I can't tell you how many wishlist books they get in digital. It's scary. Take your wishlist on over to the website and run through the catalog and then decide.

I love using Overdrive.  Would you be using Kindle or Adobe?  I download my books into ADR, then move them to Calibre, then load my eReader.  I drove up to San Francisco to get a library card as my local library has such a limited supply.  So that was a two hour drive for a free library card.

Do go online and look at the catalog.  Does that library have enough books to interest you?  Different libraries have different book selection criteria and different card requirements.  You need to find a library that their book selector agrees with your wants.  And at a cost you can deal with.

Nancy: lol  I live in AL I just have to cross the river to get into GA. I live in a smallish area with 1 little library and they don't do ebooks at all. I'll have to pay non-resident somewhere.  I'll check out the 2 you suggested and see what I can find. 

Emily: I use a rooted Nook HD+  with the Kindle & Nook apps so from what I'm reading about it I'll be downloading an android app for Overdrive I think? The cost is not really a problem if they have books I'm looking for and keep getting new selections in. I go through books pretty quickly and I just don't want to spend the money on something I won't be using much.

I'm new to this library ebook thing so I didn't realize the selections varied that much from library to library.

Crap, the storm is back... My tv just went and internet connection is about to go kaput also. Hopefully this post goes through. :(

I agree with Nancy.  If you have to pay to have a library card, you should go for one of the ones she mentioned.

My library got into ebook lending last year.  While the collection started out small, it is definitely growing.  They are finally getting a decent selection of erotica.

$50 a year is the equivalent of 20 credits here or 10 ebooks (give or take). But, for the $50, you can download and read as many as you can download and read. For me it was simply spending my book money in a different way.

My Dad's library has a definite selection that seems to be based on what they want to use the shelf space for. (I have his library card. I'm a naughty girl.) They have a high percent horror, urban fiction, and young adult. San Francisco has an awesome erotica collection. Very different selection criteria. I really recommend checking the online catalogs before paying.

you might also care about how many you can check out at a time and the waitlines for what you are interested in.

Also if I find a book I want on overdrive, I let my local library know and so far they have gotten it.  I guess it depends on how many requests they get.

My local library allows you to check out 5 digital items at a time and have 10 on your holds list (ie waiting in line for the book to be avail)

I also joined BPL and they allow you to check out 15 at a time, and I think you could only put 5 on your holds list.

Most let you check out the item for 7 days or 14 days, but one site I was looking out allowed 21 days.  They also have different requirements on how quickly you have to respond when they say your hold item is avail  (3 or 4 days for the 2 sites I use)

I almost always do audio books instead of e-books.  The expirations dont really matter on the audiobooks once they are on my player, but the ebooks that I get on the kindle will expire on time (there are probably ways around this, but I haven't needed to figure it out)

I did find that on my mac the audio format they don't support won't show up in the library catalog for me.  Probably some way to get around this too, but I just use my windows machine instead.

There is a way around the Kindle expiration date using Calibre and side loading.   Not going to explain in public.  But there is.  Also works to covert Kindle books to ePub.

Emily- just be sure overdrive is working to fix that issue so don't count on it working  for much longer.   It was in some newsletter we got from them and calibre was mentioned, they are also looking at ways to make it lock up so you cannot use that program with their ebooks (overdrive rather then amazon).

I've spent most of today looking over AL libraries and the two mentioned above. It's just not worth the 2-3 hour drive to get a card for the slim selection of books they have here.  I will be joining the Brooklyn Public Library . :) It has the most of what I'm looking for.

Okay, so I'm a bit confused on the files. When you check out a book it's sent as a file to side load? I thought it was an app and the books downloaded to it, similar to the Kindle or Nook app?

You have a choice.  You can read directly on the Overdrive app.  You can download to ADR or Kindle.  The ADR can be side loaded if you have a eReader rather than a tablet.

I download it on my computer, then sideload into my reader.  This means I do not have to have the wifi turned on, as it sucks the battery down really fast.

And I am careful to always side load if I'm going to be traveling.  I want the book on the reader, not some cloud where I might not have access to.

Oh.  It is downloaded.  But there is an email telling you it is ready to check out.  The actual file is not emailed, just a link to your account.

Maybe if you tell us what ereader you have or if it's a tablet.    Kindle is easy to do and goes via wifi.
Nook you can only side load the files.  
If you have a tablet or smartphone you can use the overdrive app.

My wifi is always turned off, it only gets turned on once a week to download new files THEN recharged.   The again I;ve never bought a book from my actual kindle, always done it from my computer..LOL

Emily- yup overdrive is going to lock so much down, I think it will make things rather hard for people to sideload. 

I'm glad my library uses 3MCloud.  It's an app that's right on my Nook and books download onto it.  They'll stay on the Nook for as long as I want as long as I keep the Wifi off.  And I do keep it off most of the time unless I need to download something.

Oh, I see.  I will probably use the app then. My wifi is on most of the time since I use it for Vudu, Netflix and a game or two. Thanks everyone! 

xengab : I have a rooted Nook HD+.

Xen, they're still going to allow books to download into ADE and then transfer via cable to the Nook, right?

Nancy- I think so, just if you try and put the file through another source like calibre, I guess altering the files in anyway is what they will be looking for.  No talk about not supporting non kindle ereaders.  So if you put it through  a program that strips DRM or other coding (the timed access) it would freeze up that ebook so you could not read it.

I love Overdrive- it is so simple!!  I download books and listen or read them whenever I can.  I use my dad's card in NY as that library has a larger overdrive selection than mine in Raleigh NC.  You check out the books they have on overdrive before you get the card.  I love it- really!!  A car accident and head injury made it hard for me to read, so I download audio books constantly!

I have the one from the Philadelphia library but think the brooklyn one would have been better...gosh need to get on there and find some books! still reading my own stuff..

ok this is a stupid question but I have an ipad and downloaded the overdrive software - but I'm used to reading on mykindle app whre 2 pages show side by side like a 'real' book would look - is there a way to do this with the overdrive reader?

Emily will that work if you have to use the usb for kindle? some of my library's say usb for the kindle...

The app works, you just have to go to AMAZON, tell it to send it to that device  and it sends it.   You don't need a USB for it, that would only be the case for NON amazon ebooks OR the library is no sycn'd to amazon.

Actually, I think there are some books with notes that an USB is required.  I think it is one of the publisher's criteria. 

I much prefer to read on my eReader.  If I go to the library through Safari on my iPad, it mentions which books are not available on my device.