San Diego Public Library eCollection

Hey There:

I've had this conversation more than once, a friend and I will be discussing such and such book and me being a San Diego Public Library super fan will say:

"You can check out if its available in the Library and download it to your Kindle"

Blank stare.

"Yeah, you can download eBooks and eAudiobooks from the Public Library!"

And then the questions come.

Do you know about this? If not let me tell you more:

I believe everyone is familiar with the Public Library system. Residents of the city or county can request a Library card and be able to borrow books, movies, audiobooks, etc. for a certain amount of time at no charge.

Through the Library's website you can search for a book, see which branches have the book and request for it to be shipped to your nearest branch, receiving an e-mail notification when the book is ready for pick-up. You can also check on the status of your borrowed items and even renew them.

Now it gets even better because you can borrow from the eCollection and upload the eBooks, eAudiobooks and videos directly into your devices.

Register

First things first, you will need a valid Library card in order to be able to register in the SDPL Digital Media Library.

One you are registered, you will need to download Overdrive Media Console and Adobe Digital Editions, both are free software, the links and instructions are available on the Library's site.

Supported Devices

You will be able to download files into Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iAnything, PC, tablets, MP3 players, etc. To view the very extensive list, click this link.


Digital Account

You may borrow up to 5 items at a time. If an item is available you can Add to Cart and download it, otherwise you can Place On Hold, when the title is available you will be notified by e-mail. They have over 150 titles "Always Available".

If you place a title On Hold you will be able to see where in the queue you are, in the example below, the Library has 2 copies and 17 people already on the waiting list.

The titles you borrow will be downloaded into the OverDrive Media Console, from here you can transfer to your compatible mobile device or play it on your own computer.

eBooks

These can be borrowed for 21 days, at the end of this period you will no longer be able to access the book unless you borrow it again. If you finish the book in less time you cannot return it, you will need to wait until the 21 days are up.

As of the date of this blog post, the Library has 3,741 titles in its eCollection. This is a sample of how many titles the Library has to offer, with the collection growing constantly.

Sci-Fi & Fantasy - 466 titles
Mystery & Suspense - 964 titles
Biography & Autobiography - 243 titles
Business & Finance - 133 titles


eAudiobooks

These have flexibility, they can be borrowed for 7, 14 or 21 days. They can be downloaded into iPods or MP3 players until the borrowed time is up. As of the date of this blog post, the Library has 3,699 titles in its eCollection.

Romance - 289 titles
Juvenile Fiction - 321 titles
Classic Literature - 706 titles
Self-Improvement - 168 titles
Foreign Language Study - 88 titles


Video

Videos also have the flexibility of 7, 14 or 21 days. They have more restrictions, for example I downloaded an Anthony Hopkins biography documentary and it can only be viewed on a PC but not on a Mac or any other devices. The quality on the video I watched was very good and I could see it as a small window like it is in the pic below, or have it full screen. As of the date of this blog post, the Library has 1,161 titles in its eCollection.

Drama - 48 titles
Horror - 10 titles
Travel - 80 titles

So there you have it, go forth and download...legally.