Downloadable Books

Newport Beach Public Library now offers two downloadable books services, the Southern California Digital Library (by Overdrive) and the newly added MyiLibrary (by Ingram Digital). The services are similar, but do have a few differences. Here's a comparison of the features:

Compatibility	SoCal Digital Library (Overdrive) - click to access	MyiLibrary (Ingram)- click to access
Is there special software required?	Yes – Overdrive Media Console (free one-time download) and Windows Media Player or iTunes	Yes – Ingram Media Manager (free one-time download) and Windows Media Player or iTunes
Mac Compatible?	MP3 format audio books only	Yes
PC Compatible?	Yes	Yes
iPod Compatible?	Yes – but early iPod Shuffles only play MP3 format	Yes, except for Shuffles
Can I burn to CD?	Some titles - check title information	Some titles - check title information
Text ebooks available?	Yes - Adobe or Mobipocket format	No
Which players are compatible with the service?	View list	View list
How do I get started?	Overdrive Quick Start Guide	MyiLibrary Quick Start Guide

Loan rules	SoCal Digital Library (Overdrive) - click to access	MyiLibrary (Ingram)- click to access
Maximum # of checkouts at one time	5	3
Can I place holds?	Yes	Yes
Checkout period	7 or 14 days (you choose; you can set your own default for each format)	7-21 days (you choose; default is 21 days)
Can I return books early?	Adobe ebooks only	If the title has not been downloaded
How long do books remain in my bookbag or on my bookshelf?	30 minutes without checkout	Checked out immediately; can be returned if not downloaded
How long do I have to check out my hold from the time I am notified that it is available?	3 days from when email is sent	Title is checked out to you as soon as it becomes available
How many times can I download a title I have checked out?	3	Unlimited
Can I renew a title?	No; but you can check it out again and re-download it if no one else has a hold on it.	No; but you can check it out again and re-download it if no one else has a hold on it.