Checking out Audio books and E-books via T.I.E.

NOTICE: PLEASE SEE THE UPDATED POST HERE:

https://platte-geddes.wixsite.com/library/blog/logging-in-to-and-using-sora-with-pictures

You may have seen a few fliers around the school about borrowing e-books and audio books. Technologies and Innovation in Education (T.I.E.) has teamed up with Overdrive to create a digital library for schools across South Dakota to join. This is a great way for us to expand our library with our limited budget! This post is just to give you a brief overview of the system and how to check things out. Since it's all automated, there's no need to worry about overdue books or fees. It is hands-free from the school library as well, which means we cannot see what you're checking out, when you check it out, or when it's due. We are simply the gateway for you to access the collection.

Simply go to https://tiesd.lib.overdrive.com

From the pull down menu, select our school, and sign in with your k12 email address and password.

Finding a book

On the home page, scrolling down you will see some featured books and categories. The system is set up for k-12, so don't be concerned if you see some categories that are well below your grade level! Near the top, you'll see you can search books by collections, subjects, or reading level. If you know exactly what book you're looking for, you can also type it into the search bar and go directly to it, if it's in the collection.

**Keep in mind that this system is still new and growing. Books are being added regularly, but don't be surprised if a book you're looking for isn't in the system.....yet!**

Keep an eye on the small icon on the top right of each book. If the icon is a book, then you are looking at an e-book. If there's a pair of headphones, that indicates it's an audio book that you can listen to. If the icon is black, the book is available to read right this moment. If the icon is grey, it means the book is currently checked out. Just like any library, all books aren't available all the time. However, just like any library, you can place a hold on the book. Tap the book to see this option. When you place a hold, enter your email address in to the space provided. You will also get the option to automatically borrow the title when it becomes available. Selecting this will cause the system to check it out on your behalf as soon as it's back in circulation. Either way, you will receive an email when the book is available for you to check out, or read (if you set it to auto-borrow). To read your book, click on 'account' at the top right of your screen. Click on 'checkouts' and your book should be there. You have the option to read in your browser if you'd like, or, you can download your book to any other device and read/listen (if it's an audio book) to it offline via the OverDrive App which you can download from any app store.

If you choose to download your book via the app, you may be prompted to create a free OverDrive account. You can select "Under 13 or using OverDrive through your school" instead. Once the app is installed, select "find a library" and enter your search criteria. I found the easiest way was to just enter our zip code. You should see our school in the results. Select the school and make sure you save it to your account.

When you open the app, you should see any books you've already downloaded. If there are none, you will see "add a title". Selecting this should take you to the TIE South Dakota Schools Digital Library, where you will see the familiar pull down menu. Select our school, enter your sign in info, go to your account, then checkouts, and find your book. Click on 'Add to app" to download your title.

That's it! If you have any questions, or want to see what else you can do with your books (including highlighting and taking notes, which you can print!), be sure to click on the 'help' section of the TIE website. They've made everything easy to understand and follow, but if you find that something is still confusing you, feel free to come see me in the library and I'll do my best to help you out.

Enjoy your books!