OverDrive Basic Access FAQs

Basic Access

I want a book now, but I don’t have a library card. Can I apply online?

At this time, there is not a way to get a library card online from the libraries in the Capital Area Library District. You must visit the library in person with photo identification and proof of address.

If you live in Cumberland County: read this information http://www.pacounties.org/cumberland/cwp/view.asp?a=1294&q=492355#How%20do%20I%20get%20a%20library%20card?

For Dauphin County: choose your library:

Dauphin County: http://dcls.org/GetaCard.html

Hershey: http://www.hersheylibrary.org/index.php/library-info/library-cards

Middletown: http://www.middletownpubliclib.org

For Perry County: Just visit your local library.

How do I access my account in the system?

To use the audiobooks service, visit this website: http://capitalarealibrary.lib.overdrive.com/

Users in Dauphin County will need the barcode on the library card issued from your local public library and a PIN number. If you are unsure of your PIN number, please contact your local library.

Users in Cumberland County will only need the barcode on your library card issued from your local library.

Users in Perry County need to visit their local library to get a special OverDrive user card. This special OverDrive user card will give users a barcode and standard PIN number that can be used to login to the system.

Who pays for this service?

The downloadable audiobook service and collection are funded solely with district library center funding. The dollars come from a state funding appropriation that encourages efficient library cooperation. District library center funding provides money for libraries to spend for services beyond the basics through a cooperative agreement to benefit residents of the three county library cooperative district. Your local public library is a part of a larger network. Learn about the other services and resources that your local library receives funded through this state appropriation here: http://capitalarealibrarydistrict.org

Libraries in Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry County are working together to meet library needs throughout the region with the support of the Capital Area Library District.

Why did you stop the last service and begin OverDrive?

The decision to switch to the Overdrive service was made by a collective group of library leaders from Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry County.

The former service did not offer any titles for the popular ipod and only offered titles from a only few select publishers. Overdrive offered our libraries the option to select and purchase individual titles in multiple formats from a wider variety of publishers. It also provides a different platform for downloads and transfers.

Customer demand led to our choice to focus the collection on bestselling titles and popular fiction. Because this collection is a new service, it does not have the breadth of the collections of CDs you will find at your local library. Please check your local library’s catalog to search for a more diverse collection of audiobook titles in traditional format.

At this time, we are aware that many of the titles in the collection are constantly in use. We understand the hardship it can be to have to wait for a title to become available, but like other popular library bestsellers, demand is greater than available resources through this funding stream can afford. Please be patient. Your local library works hard to use public resources wisely to provide the best possible service within funding constraints.