OverDrive / Libby

Good to Know

• Checkout and hold a 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

Easily enjoy eBooks and audiobooks from OverDrive on your tablet, smartphone, and computer with the Libby app for Apple iOS 10.0 or later, or Android 5.0 and up. 

Once you have downloaded the app, you can browse the collection as well as set preferences such as only looking for eBooks or audiobooks, availability 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 check out items and then sync your device. We have found most users prefer this method.

To get started on your Kobo:

1. From the Home screen, tap the More button.
2. This will bring up a menu.
3. Click on Settings then OverDrive.
4. Your account will say if you are logged in or not.  Click on Getting Started if you have not logged in before. 
5. 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.
6. Search for the library by typing in London Public Library. Then select one of our branch locations or London Public Library (London Public Library).
7. 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.  Load your new books onto your device by returning to your Kobo eReader and clicking on the sync button in the top righthand corner of your screen.  Please note, it can sometimes take a few hours for your items display in the 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 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 log 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 the title will automatically begin to download to your Kobo.

• Borrowed eBooks will appear in the Books section of your Kobo alongside any books you have purchased.

Using a Computer

To search for books on a computer, first open your browser and go to https://lpl.overdrive.com. Select an available title and click on Borrow.  Sign in by selecting your Library, then enter 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 it can be changed during a future checkout if needed.  Another pop-up will appear, allowing you to either 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

We've partnered with Burlington, Hamilton, Kingston Frontenac, Mississauga, and Ottawa Public Libraries to offer Londoners with a greater selection of titles on OverDrive.

To access these collections: 

• Go to our website and click the Partner Libraries button at the top right.
• Log in with your London Public Library card and PIN.
• Find a book you want and click Borrow or Place a Hold.
• Select your library and sign in.
   

Please note: 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.

To access these collections on the Libby app:

• Open the Libby app and click the menu icon at the bottom middle of the screen.
• Add each library by selecting Your Libraries and following the prompts.
• Sign in as a London Public Library user with your library card.
   

Please note: Libby shows all your checkouts and holds, regardless of the owning library. However, each library prioritizes its own users for holds, so try to place holds on London Public Library materials when possible. Some titles may not be available due to lending models.

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.