By using this service, you accept this service’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Good to Know
- Checkout and hold limit of 20 items.
- There are never any fines and items return automatically.
- Items can be renewed or requested again 3 days before the due date.
- You will be notified by email or through the app when your holds are ready. You have 3 days to check out the item or decide to have it delivered later.
- London Public Library has partnered with Ottawa, Hamilton, Kingston, Mississauga, and Burlington public libraries to offer more titles through Overdrive.
Getting Started
To get started, you will need to have the following:
- Your Library Card number and PIN.
- An internet connection.
- A compatible device. Please note that Kindle eReaders are NOT compatible with Canadian Library eBooks.
You can download or stream using Libby App, an eReader or on your computer.
Download the App
Enjoying eBooks and audiobooks from OverDrive on your tablet, smartphone and computer is easy with the Libby app for Apple iOS 10.0 or later, or Android 5.0 and up. The OverDrive App is no longer available.
Once you have downloaded the app, you can browse the collection as well as set preferences such as only looking for eBooks or Audiobooks, available or audience.
Using an eReader
Most Kobos have OverDrive integrated. You can only use eBooks with a Kobo but not audiobooks. If you are using an older model Kobo, the instructions for downloading and transferring to your eReader can be found on the OverDrive help site.
There are two ways to use your Kobo with our OverDrive collection. One is to browse and borrow directly from your Kobo and the other way is to use the Libby app or a browser, such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, to checkout items and then sync your device. We have found most users prefer this way.
To get started on your Kobo:
- From the Home screen, tap the More button.
- This will bring up a menu.
- Click on Settings then OverDrive.
- Your account will say if you are logged in or not. Click on Getting Started if you have not logged in before.
- Your device will now prompt you to Create account or Sign in to OverDrive. If you select to sign in, you will only need to enter your Library Card and PIN.
- You will need to find the library by typing in London Public Library, select one of our branch locations or that says London Public Library (London Public Library)
- You will need to select London Public Library again. It will then prompt you to sign in with your Library Card number and PIN.
You can search for books using the Libby App or a browser by going to https://lpl.overdrive.com. Borrow materials or add to your hold list from here. Once you go back to your Kobo eReader, you click on the sync button on the top right corner. Please note, it sometimes can take a few hours before your items show in your Books section.
To sync items from a Partner Library, you will need to log out of your Kobo and sign back in using the library that you borrowed from. For example, if you wanted to borrow or sync a title from Ottawa Public Library, in step 6 above, you would instead need to select London Public Library (Ottawa Public Library), then select London Public Library in step 7.
Some titles may not be available for direct borrowing or syncing to Kobo due to publisher restrictions on specific titles. In these cases, the title has to be transferred from a computer using Adobe Digital Editions as described on the help page.
To borrow directly:
-
Once you have logged on to OverDrive on your Kobo as directed above, you can then Search and borrow titles from the Library's OverDrive catalogue.
-
Once you have searched for items, it will either say Place a Hold or Borrow. Just click on Borrow if you wish to start the checkout / download process.
-
Go to Books, and you will see the title begins to automatically download to your Kobo.
-
Borrowed eBooks will appear in the Books section of your Kobo alongside any books you have purchased.
Using a Computer
You can search for books using a browser at https://lpl.overdrive.com and select a title that is available, click on Borrow. You will then be prompted to sign in by selecting your Library and entering your Library Card and PIN if you haven’t already. There will be another prompt to borrow the item. At this point, you can also select how long you would like the item for – 7, 14 or 21 days. This becomes your default borrowing period but can be changed during a future checkout if needed. Another pop-up will show your option to download the title or to stream it in your browser.
Downloading the title to your computer requires Adobe Digital Editions. Please note: Adobe is no longer supporting Digital Editions. This limits our ability to help you download and transfer using Adobe Digital Editions. Instructions can be found here on the OverDrive help page.
Partner Libraries Collection
London Public Library has partnered with Burlington, Hamilton, Kingston Frontenac, Mississauga, and Ottawa Public Libraries to offer more titles through OverDrive. This will provide Londoners with a greater selection of titles.
On our website, just click on the Partner Libraries button on the top right and use your London Public Library card and PIN to check out books from any of the partner libraries. When you find your read, click / tap Borrow or Place a Hold. This will bring you to the screen to Select your Library and Sign in.
You will not see the titles you have borrowed from partner libraries in your OverDrive account, you will need to look at your account in the partner libraries’ system.
If you are using the Libby app, you will need to add each library to the app in order to search for titles. You can do this by clicking on the menu icon at the middle bottom of the screen. This will bring up a list of Your Libraries. You can then add each library individually and follow the prompts to let Libby know you are visiting from London Public Library and will use your Library Card to enter. The app will let you see all your checkouts and holds regardless of owning library.
Please note: It is possible to place holds but each library prioritizes its own users’ holds first. So it is best to place holds on London Public Library materials when possible. There may be some titles that cannot be borrowed due to lending model.
Need Help?
For more help, please visit the OverDrive help page or the Libby help page.
Privacy and Terms of Use
OverDrive is a commercial service whose policies concerning privacy and user information differ from that of the London Public Library. For more information, please read OverDrive’s Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions of Use.