Using Overdrive for Student Library
This guide covers accessing Silkwood’s Digital Library from PC, MAC, IPad and Android devices.
Introduction
The schools Digital Library is hosted and maintained by OverDrive. Often OverDrive and the digital library refer to the same thing.
With OverDrive, you can borrow and enjoy eBooks, audiobooks, and more from your library or school's digital collection. All you need to get started is an internet connection and your school Library card Number.
PC and Mac Instructions
These instructions detail how students and other users can connect to Silkwood’s Digital Library. These instructions require that you have a school library card number.
Getting Started – Logging in.
This is the library’s address written into Internet Explorer’s Address Bar. After you’re done adding the address press the Enter key or the Arrow at the right end of the address bar shown above to navigate to that website.
2. The website should look like the one below.
Make sure that you have connected to the right library. Notice the Silkwood School Digital Library logo.
3. Now enter your library card number in text field above the sign-in button
After you have entered your Library card number click the Sign In button as shown above. If you were successful your page now looks like the Image Below. The books won’t be the same as in the image, this doesn’t matter and you can move onto the next step.
If your page doesn’t show the image above but instead shows the image below, this means you entered library card number wrong.
Click the “Click here to return to the sign-in page and try again.” Link to go back and try again.
4. You are now looking at the recently added books to library. From here there are a lot of ways to search and use the digital library.
The image above shows the search bar it can be found in the top right. From here you can search for titles and authors names. It is recommended that you select books at your reading level to do this hover over the “Levels” tab in the Navbar. The image below shows the “Reading level” dropped down from “Levels” click on “Reading Level”.
Don’t worry about the books currently on this page. On the left side is a list of available filters to sort the books in a search. We are going to want to scroll down to the “Reading Level” Dropdown. The image below shows the available ways to sort by “Reading Level”. Simply click on the grade for your year. For example: A year 7 student would click “Grade 7”.
Borrowing and Returning
It is important to know what the icons on the covers mean. The icon in the corner of each title shows what format it is available in. There is eBook, audiobook and video.
If the icon is grayed out that means that all copies are currently loaned out. The image below shows this.
To access your bookshelf where all your currently hired out books select the Account button in the top right. The image below shows where you can find this.
Borrowing
To borrow a title mouse over the cover and then click the borrow button. Below the two images show the transition between a title and as it is hovered over displaying the borrow button and other options.
After borrowing a title it will be added to your bookshelf from here the title will have a new transition when the cursor hovers over it and it will appear similar to the image below. The button will now take you to your bookshelf were all your other hired out books are.
Returning
Borrowed titles automatically expire after the due date. The expiration date is shown below the title the image below shows this with a red box around it “Expires in 14 days”. The other red box shows the button that needs to be pressed to return the title (“Return Title”). IMPORTANT: The return title button disappears when the title is downloaded. The next section will cover how to read, listen and watch titles from the digital library.
Reading and Listening
You must only select the read/listen in browser option. Otherwise you will have to wait until the title expires for it to be returned. The image below shows the buttons you need to click “Read” or “Listen” with a red rectangle around it. This will open a new window where you can happily read your book or listen to your audiobook.
IPad and Android Instructions
To begin using an IPad you will first need the OverDrive application. To do this simply visit the App store on your IPad. Typing OverDrive in the search bar is a great way to do this.
Note: The screenshots are from an IPad and may appear differently on an android device. However the instructions are same.
Open the OverDrive app and follow the prompts to create an OverDrive account and log in. If you're under 13, select I am under 13 years old instead. Note: the I’m 13 years old option is good if you want to just access the schools library.
Getting Started – Finding the School Library
From here the application is fairly straight forward and following the onscreen prompts is recommended.
As this page says explains press the top left button or swipe the screen from left to right. Doing this will bring up a menu to the left.
Through this menu you can now add a library. Note that there won’t be anything in your bookshelf yet the first time you use the app.
From here we want to find the Silkwood School Library. One way to do this is to enter “Silkwood” into Search field. Another is to browse libraries from Australia ->Queensland ->Silkwood School->Silkwood School.
You’ll need to navigate until you see Silkwood School in the list. The image above shows Silkwood School cropped out of the list. Tap Silkwood in the list.
Tapping Silkwood will expand and show the available Library Systems Simply tap Silkwood School below the previous.
Signing In
You’ve found the school now you’ll need to sign into the library. Your screen should currently look like the one below make sure you have connected to the correct library.
Enter your Library Card Number and click the sign in button. You enter your Library card Number into the textfield with the red rectangle around it.
Click the sign in button as indicated above once you have entered your Library card number.
If your page is like the one above you have successfully logged in if not read below.
If your page doesn’t show the image above but instead shows the image below, this means you entered library card number wrong. The page will not always look like this one below however if it doesn’t look like the one above something went wrong and you’ll need to try again.
Use the “Click here to return to the sign-in page and try again.” Link to go back and try again.
You are now looking at the recently added books to library. From here there are a lot of ways to search and use the digital library.
The image above shows the search bar it can be found in the top right. From here you can search for titles and authors names. It is recommended that you select books at your reading level to do this tap the “Levels” tab in the Navbar. The image below shows the “Reading level” dropped down from “Levels” tap “Reading Level”.
Don’t worry about the books currently on this page. On the left side is a list of available filters to sort the books in a search. We are going to want to scroll down to the “Reading Level” Dropdown. The image below shows the available ways to sort by “Reading Level”. Simply tap on the grade for your year. For example: A year 7 student would tap “Grade 7”.
Borrowing and Returning
It is important to know what the icons on the covers mean. The icon in the corner of each title shows what format it is available in. There is eBook, audiobook and video.
If the icon is grayed out that means that all copies are currently loaned out. The image below shows this.
To access your bookshelf where all your currently hired out books select the Account button in the top right. The image below shows where you can find this.
From your bookshelf reached through account you an now download your eBooks/audiobooks to read inside the OverDrive app. Simply tap the download button and allow time to download the eBook/audiobook to your IPad.
The download is shown in the image to the right above “Read” in browser. Now from here tap the top left corner button with three lines that appears as so.
This will open the pop out menu from the left and from here we will navigate yo “Bookshelf” to begin reading. The image below shows where you need to tap in the red triangle.