If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you know that we love the phone/tablet apps Libby/Overdrive and Hoopla. But have you ever wondered why the library has two different ways to use eAudiobooks and eBooks? We have a few different reasons below.
Before we start a quick note about Libby/Overdrive. Overdrive is the service that hosts the Digital Library of Illinois, and Libby is the app that most people use to access it on their phones, computers and tablets. To make matters even more confusing, some older devices and Kindles use the Overdrive app instead of the Libby app. If you have any questions about which one works for you, give the Reference Desk and call and we can walk you through the process. We know it’s confusing to have so many names for one service! For the purpose of this article we will be referring to the service as Libby/Overdrive since that’s the logo people see when using it.
Different Content
Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive have some overlap in the titles that they offer, but they’re far from identical. Libby/Overdrive offers nearly 50k eBooks and almost 20k eAudiobooks, but Hoopla offers over 600k eBooks and 155k eAudiobooks! Even though Hoopla has a massive library, many major authors don’t have their entire collection on Hoopla. For example- Nora Roberts only has 6 of her books on Hoopla and John Grisham doesn’t have a single book on Hoopla right now.
But that’s OK- check Libby/Overdrive! There’s a good chance that what you’re looking for is there. And if it’s not on Libby/Overdrive, you can request it! Login to your account on the Digital Library of Illinois on a browser (it can be your phone or tablet browser) and search for you book. Where you would normally say “Borrow”, click request! It will take you through a process that a librarian will review to add the title that you can then read on Libby/Overdrive. Note, they are not reviewed by a librarian at DPL, so unfortunately we are unable to give you progress reports on your requests.
Different Kinds of Content
Both services offer more than books. Libby/Overdrive (and recently Hoopla as well) offers eMagazines. But Hoopla offers a large non-book/audiobook library. Hoopla has movies, music and graphic novels! In addition to items that you can borrow individually, Hoopla recently introduced “Binge Passes” that lets you explore sites like Great Courses Plus for free with your library card!
Different Ways to Borrow
There are advantages and disadvantages to both ways of borrowing. Hoopla lets you borrow anything at any time with no waiting! It’s like going to an online eBook store- you find something, you borrow it and you have it, totally free for the borrow period with your library card. But you have to use your borrows wisely, you can only use 10 a month.
Libby/Overdrive works basically just like the physical library works. The library system has bought a set number of “copies” of an eBook or eAudiobook, and only one person can use a copy at a time, so sometimes you have to wait. But as long as you have less than 10 items out at once there’s no limit to how many items you can check out at once. Need more borrows? Just return something and you can check out something new.
If you ever have an questions about our eCollections let us know at the reference desk! Contact us at 217-477-5228 or email us at Reference_Desk@danvillepubliclibrary.org.You can als checkout other online offerings we have at our database or https://danvillepubliclibrary.org/databases/ eCollections https://danvillepubliclibrary.org/e-collections/ tabs. We have a wide variety of online resources from online classes to historical newspapers to health resources. All totally FREE with your library card!
