Do you have questions about how to obtain FREE library eBooks? Come any Saturday and talk to our eBook experts, Chris and Gwendolyn. Bring your device and we will help you set it up and show you how to use our collection! Times for one-on-one tutoring are 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM! If you don't own a device and just want to see how they work, come on in and we'll show you that, too! 

Because of the rise of the internet and the growing popularity of downloadable content, public libraries are evolving at a pace never before seen. Harris County Public Library has never shied away from new technologies--we see them as opportunities to enhance existing library services and to expand into new service areas. But like all organizations that want to thrive in a changing technological landscape, we must continually reassess our mission and our goals. To help us do that, and ultimately allow us to provide better service to our customers, HCPL invites those of you who check out ebooks to complete a brief survey designed by a nationally-respected research firm.

Beginning next Saturday, May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, our Tech Tutors will be offering weekly one-on-one sessions from 10 am to noon.

Drop by the library any Saturday through August with your digital device and we'll walk you through the process of checking items out from our Digital Media Catalog onto your device.

Sessions start when we open at 10 am and will be offered on a first come, first serve basis.  Hope to see you there!

The OverDrive App is now available for Android products!  You can download it free of charge through Google Play, the new Android Marketplace, on your smartphone or tablet.  

An exception to this rule is with the Kindle Fire.  The App Store on the Fire is run through the Amazon marketplace, which is a subset of the Android marketplace that, unfortunately, does not at present carry the OverDrive App.  However, there is a fairly simple way around this.

Amazon's default settings of the Kindle Fire make it so that you cannot download third-party (i.e. non-Amazon) apps.  To their credit, they make it fairly easy to turn this setting off.  The first step in getting the OverDrive app to your Kindle Fire is to tap the gear at the top of your screen to go into the device's settings.  Next, select the far right option that reads "More..."  Scroll down and tap where it says "Device".  Towards the bottom of the screen, tap where it says "Allow Installation of Applications From Unknown Sources".  Naturally, a warning about the security of your Kindle pops up.  Select OK.  You should now be allowed to install third-party applications to your Fire.

The next step is to open the web browser on your device and to head to Overdrive.com.  

There used to be a large box near the top center of our home page that said “Digital Media Catalog.”  You used to click that box to get to our ebooks and downloadable audio.  Then “they” redesigned the web page.  Fear not; it’s still easy to get there.  You just click this icon now.  It’s on the right, about 2½” down.

Thinking of buying an e-reader or already own one and not sure of how to use it?  The South Houston Branch Library will be hosting a workshop Thursday, March 29 from 2-4 pm where you can learn how to use our digital media catalog and download e-books for free using our wireless network.  Bring your own e-reader or you can compare between the Nook, Kindle or iPad that the branch will have on display.

Flickr CC:Summertime lunch in Bryant Park, Aug 2009-27:Ed Yourdon

Did you know that we've added 692 titles to our Digital Media Catalog in the past 30 days?  If you are already familiar with our Digital Media Catalog, browsing for recently added titles is relatively painless.  What follows is a step-by-step tutorial on how to do so.

First, head to HCPL's website, hcpl.net

Of course, if you are using an iPad, you can bypass this step by using the Overdrive app.  

Do you have a Kindle, Nook, iPad or other e-reader?  Did you know you can download free books from the library with your devices?  Come to our "Learn About Out eBooks and eReaders" classes on Wednesday, March 21st and March 28th at 6 pm.  You can bring your device or we will have a Kindle, Nook and iPad available for you to test out.  Registration is required.  You can call the library to register at 281-457-1631.

The _under50^over Program at Clear Lake City-County Freeman welcomes you Friday, March 9^th at 10:30 am in the Marge Jacobson Community Room. Learn how to download e-materials from our ‘Overdrive Catalog’ to your e-readers, smart phones, or other wireless devices. We will start out in the Community Room and break into groups according to which device you own. Moises Villasenior, Technology Training Assistant, Laura Smith and Jorie Nissen, Reference Librarians, will be helping you with the downloads.

Do you have an iPad, a Kindle, or a Nook?  Did you know that you can borrow ebooks for free through the library’s Digital Media Catalog?  If you’d like some help getting started, bring your ereader to the library meeting room on Wednesday, March 7, at 3:00.  We are hosting a library ebook demonstration in celebration of Read an eBook Week, which is March 4-10.  Please call us at (713) 466-4438 to register and let us know which type of device you’ll be bringing.  If you don’t have an ereader yet, we have some that you can look at and learn about.