Library moves ebook collection to cloudLibrary for greater choice, access

Starting October 21 the Kawartha Lakes Public Library is moving its main eBook and eAudiobook provider to cloudLibrary from OverDrive/Libby. Through cloudLibrary patrons can access the online collections of over 25 public libraries in Ontario through the cloudLink consortium, starting on November 6.

With cloudLibrary you will be able to discover new authors, borrow old favourites, and place holds on best-sellers with the new website and app. Read or listen to digital books on the go, at home or in the library. Users can also mark books to read later, browse by genre or topic, and check out curated digital library shelves. What does this mean for library users interested in accessing digital books through this new platform? It will be a similar process with cloudLibrary to what people are used to and patrons will benefit from an easy-to-use interface that provides an intuitive browsing, downloading, reading, and listening experience.

Library patrons will still have 24/7 access to the digital library with automatic returns, no late fees, syncing across multiple devices and customizable reading and listening features. Patrons will be able to search the library catalogue for titles the we own or search through the mobile app or cloudLibrary website for additional titles from our cloudLink partner libraries.

The library decided to switch over to cloudLibrary from OverDrive as the library’s main platform for eBooks and eAudiobooks because of the increased number of titles that are available.

“cloudLibrary gives our patrons more” says Shawnee Hayward, the library’s Reference Specialist. “More titles and a longer loan period. Previously, patrons were only able to sign out digital copies of books for two weeks but with cloudLibrary the checkout will be 3 weeks.”

Unfortunately patron’s digital books on hold, their reading history and titles added to their wish list on the OverDrive platform will not transfer over. Library patrons are being encouraged to record the items they currently have on hold in OverDrive prior to October 15. Patrons will then need to re-place the hold in cloudLibrary starting on
October 21. In the week of October 21 library staff will be visiting all branches to help people through the transition over to cloudLibrary.

During the transition, both services will be available until the end of November. If someone has a digital item currently checked out in OverDrive, they will be able to access it until the loan period expires. Access to OverDrive will end on November 30 and almost all books will be transferred to cloudLibrary.

As well, starting November 6, the library will join the cloudLink consortium with other Ontario cloudLibrary members. Thanks to this growing group of libraries, library patrons will benefit from a greater selection and more ‘available now’ titles from which to choose. By joining cloudLink, library patrons will have access to over 125,000 titles.

Anyone with a Kawartha Lakes Public Library card can access eBooks or eAudiobooks on cloudLibrary, completely for free. To learn more about the cloudLibrary, visit here.