Need help? OverDrive has information to get you started:
The Quick Start Guide – has step-by-step instructions with links to more help.
The Digital Help FAQ – has answers to common questions about how OverDrive works and how to troubleshoot problems.
The Compatibility Guide – will help you determine which devices are compatible with the OverDrive service.
You can also e-mail NOBLE’s OverDrive tech support staff with specific questions via their support page.
And by all means contact us at Beebe Library if you have questions or comments.

OverDrive is now available for Kindle users!

As of September 2011, OverDrive is also now finally available for Amazon Kindle users! Browse our collections, check out a title, and then transfer it to your Kindle. For more information, check out Amazon’s web site or the announcement from OverDrive. There is also a nice YouTube video to help you get started.

As a Massachusetts resident you can also access the large OverDrive collection made available by the Boston Public Library to all residents of the Commonwealth. You need a valid library card, but you can easily register online for a Boston Public Library card which will allow you to download BPL’s audiobooks and ebooks as well.

To use this new free service, go directly to our collection of downloadable titles. You can find books you want by searching for a specific title, or browsing different categories. Browse genres of fiction, like mysteries or historical novels, romance, or science fiction – or nonfiction titles like biographies and books on how to learn a foreign language, or English for foreign speakers.

You can also browse new titles, or recently returned ones that were enjoyed by others. Browse by format to see which titles are compatible with your player, and even browse through only those titles that are currently available at the moment. If the title you want is unavailable, you can reserve it the same as you would for any other library item.

How do you get started? You need a valid library card, an Internet connection, and you’ll need to download the free OverDrive Media Console software, which will manage your audiobook selections. On our OverDrive web site you’ll find plenty of useful help in the “Getting Started” section at the top of the left hand menu. If you need help, by all means contact the library staff by phone or e-mail and we can assist you in getting started.

Downloadable titles can be “checked out” to your computer for a period of two weeks. After that they automatically expire and are available for the next person. In addition to listening to them on your PC or laptop, most titles can also be transferred to a portable device like an MP3 player or an iPod. Some can also be burned to a recordable CD. Because of licensing and digital rights management (DRM) restrictions from the publishers, not all titles can be listened to on all equipment, but the listings on our web site will clearly list which options are available for each book. Icons next to each title will show you if it is compatible with Apple devices.

Use this handy cheat sheet to help determine which devices are compatible with the e-books you download through the library.

We hope to expand the NOBLE downloadable collection over time, but as a Massachusetts resident you have other options as well. Boston Public Library’s OverDrive service is available to all residents of the Commonwealth. Again, you need a valid library card, but you can easily register online for a Boston Public Library card which will allow you to download their audio- and e-books as well.

People with visual impairments may also be eligible for services, including a large collection of downloadable audiobooks, from the Perkins School for the Blind.