Technology Gift How-to Instructions for Library Digital Materials

Hello Everyone,
It's that time of year again when people are making decisions about what to buy their special someone, family member, or friend.  For those of you who decide on a technology device such as ereader, tablet, notebook, computer, or smart phone I have a little recommendation for you. Try adding  just a little more to the package: How-to Instructions on Downloading Library Materials.

The devices listed above can be used to read ebooks, listen to audio books or music, even read digital magazines or watch a streaming video.  Not sure how it is done?  Well, turn to your local library for assistance.  Many libraries such as the Stark County District Library have created handouts, provide training classes, or individual assistance for those needing help with downloading digital materials found in their collection.
The SCDL Digital Collections includes:
The Ohio Digital Library--ebooks, audio books, music, and videos
Hoopla--Audio books, music, videos, and TV programs
Zinio--Digital magazines collection

Want to make it a little more personal, ask if the instructions can be printed from home.  If you have a printer you can use special paper to print the instructions.  I know my sister loves butterflies.  I printed her instructions on stationary with butterflies.  Want to be a little more creative?  Try a word processing software such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Pages to copy and paste the instructions into and then add borders and/or clip art.  Even if you don't have a printer at home, libraries such as the SCDL provide computers and printing in color.  Note:  There is a small fee for printing in black and white or color.  Contact your local library for find out pricing.

By including How-to Instructions on Downloading Library Materials in your gift this year, you have opened up a whole new world of adventure, romance, mystery and more.
Happy Reading!
Dee

Ohio eBooks Project becomes Ohio Digital Library

Hello Everyone!

Starting tomorrow, November 7th, the Ohio Ebook Project and SEO Digital Consortium will merge to create a new consortium called the Ohio Digital Library. The new site will retain the look of the Ohio Ebook Project and for the most part retain all of the functionality of the previous site. With the merge there will be two big changes, the new site will default to 21 days for ebooks! & downloadable audiobooks and Disney Interactive ebooks will now be available! Below are some additional FAQ’s. If you have any additional questions please email me and I will get an answer for you.

Ohio Digital Library Frequently Asked Questions

What changes will existing users who currently use both sites see?

Patrons will now only have one site that looks and functions much like the other sites did. The name of the site will be The Ohio Digital Library. This site will have all of the holdings of the previous two catalogs.

What policies will the new catalog have in terms of checkout length, total checkouts, etc?

21 day checkouts default with options for 14 days and 7 days for all materials

12 holds

10 items checked out

Will individual patrons’ current checkouts and holds lists merge?

Yes, the current checkouts and holds patrons of both the Ohio eBook Project and the SEO Digital Catalog should appear on the Ohio Digital Library. Users will not lose any holds/checkouts because of combining accounts, but if it causes them to reach/exceed their max, then they wouldn’t be able to place any new holds/checkouts until some have been removed.

How will the merged holds be ranked?

Patrons will still retain the holds that they placed on the Ohio eBook Project and the SEO Digital Catalog. These holds will retain their original timestamp and will be sorted by that timestamp. So, the number on the holds list may change for your patron, but they have not lost their place in line, if that makes sense.

How will this change effect users of the Overdrive app?

Users who have the Ohio eBook Project site bookmarked/saved in their app will see “Ohio Digital Library” and won’t need to make any changes. Those patrons who had SEO saved but not OEP will need to find the new site under its new name. Or, if they go to their SEO bookmark, it will redirect them.

Will there be a new URL or link for the merged site?

Yes, the URL for the site will be http://ohdbks.lib.overdrive.com/ but the URLs Ohioebooks.com, ohioebooks.org, Ohioebook.com and Ohioebook.org will also work. All links from the old sites will redirect to this URL.

How many items will be in this new site?

This new catalog will have approximately 125,000 copies of items for our patrons to check out. It’s harder to determine titles at this time, since there is a lot of overlap between the two collections.