Help

OverDrive Launches New Help Site.

Still looking for help in assisting patrons, particularly new users, in using the OverDrive platform?

OverDrive has launched a fresh help site with new features.

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It’s easier to get started.

From the home page, you can click on any of the quick links to see a list of articles pertaining to a particular category.

On each of these quick link category pages, the content is shown by device or platform, and each has its own drop-down menu.

Under each drop-down, you’ll see a list of pertinent articles.

It’s easier to navigate.

There is persistent navigation to help you find what you need no matter where you are on the site. Across the top, you’ll see links to the four main landing pages for help.

  • Home/Quick links: This is the landing page, where you’ll find quick links to popular categories and a large search bar.
  • Videos: The videos will show up in search results and you can get straight to any series right from the navigation menu.
  • Devices: This replaces the Device Resource Center.
  • Articles: This page is a list of articles sorted by topic

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It’s easier to understand compatibility.

The new device profiles quickly and clearly spell out what and how to use OverDrive materials on each device.

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It’s easier to use on a mobile device.

The new help website is fully responsive. That way, no matter what size screen you’re using, you’ll find the help you need with a minimal amount of fuss.

It’s easier to see how things work.

The new help videos landing page lets you pick which videos you want to watch, from any series, without having to scroll down a page or open a new tab.

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It’s really easier.

There’s a new troubleshooting section that’s organized by platform. Overdrive is continually adding new content and updating the existing troubleshooting materials with a focus on adding specific error codes. Take a look at see what you think.

Karen S. (Northland)

 

Continue ReadingOverDrive Launches New Help Site.

It’s Easy to Help!

Did you know that it’s possible to email OverDrive help pages to people?  It’s an easy way to provide the information they need to answer their questions or resolve their issues.

Once you click through to a specific help page you will find a “MailTo” link in the upper right corner.  An email message will open with a link to the document you are viewing.  Just add their email address and your comments and hit send.  Voilà, your patron has easy access to what they need, and you don’t have to worry about losing them when you try to walk them through the process of getting there.

Take a closer look at that image up there.  I used it specifically because it’s all about loading the OverDrive Media Console (OMC) App on a Nook.  This is a recent development, so be sure to check out the steps here.

It was also recently announced that the OMC App is now available in the Amazon App Store, making it easy to load it onto a Kindle Fire.  Why would a patron want to do that, you might ask?  Two reasons: the option to browse for titles within the app rather than going through the library’s website, and, perhaps more importantly, the ability to bypass transferring Penguin books via USB by downloading the ePub version in the OMC app.

Sarah (CLP)

Continue ReadingIt’s Easy to Help!

Help Is Always Good

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but when it comes to just about anything computer-related I can use all the assistance, explication and insight I can find. So you can imagine how happy I was (and how happy your customers will be) to see that the folks at OverDrive have significantly improved their help pages.

Just to be clear, I’m not talking about the equally useful help page we’ve created that you can get to by clicking on Need Help??  (Though it is great to know that there’s all kinds of help available, up to and including a friendly voice on the phone.)

To get to the updated OverDrive Help you’ll need to go to click on Digital Media Help which appears in two places on the OverDrive page, under “Getting Started” on the left and as one of the tabs in the upper right quadrant of the screen.

The six buttons on the help page offer a variety of avenues to users looking for assistance in downloading e-resources. Breaking the information into these six categories makes it much easier to focus in on a specific problem.  And the pages that open up are easier to search which means that finding help is easier too.

The first option, OverDrive Help  provides a wide overview from relevant topics to particular devices to most popular articles.   The second link, MyHelp, takes users to the customized information about how to read, listen to or watch each specific format.

From button number three, Device Resource Center users are taken to an almost dizzying array of the devices on which e-resources can be accessed.  The option of narrowing one’s quest for information by both device and format makes it much easier to sort through all the information and arrive at a better understanding of how things work.

Digital Books Tour the next option on the list, is perfect for aural and visual learners.  Brief video tutorials review basics like how to install the necessary software as well as explanations of how to search for titles and place holds.

Next comes Library Lending Policies which links back to our guidelines on how many items can be borrowed at one time, how to cancel holds in our system, and what to do if you get a new library card.

And last but not least comes Support which offers the opportunity to pose specific questions to our staff via email.

So even if you don’t need help yourself, take a tour of the new and improved help offered by OverDrive.  Your patrons are going to love it—which means you’re going to love it too.

Lisa, Coordinator of Children’s Collection (CLP)

Continue ReadingHelp Is Always Good