Enjoy FREE eBooks & Audiobooks from Your Library with Overdrive

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Enjoy reading FREE eBooks?

Well now you can! With OverDrive, you can borrow and enjoy free eBooks, audiobooks, and more from your library or school’s digital collection. All you need to get started is an internet connection, a library card or student ID, and to follow these three simple steps:

1.) Find & open your library or school’s digital collection

Use one of the following apps or sites to get started…

  • The new Libby app (recommended for public library users on Android, iOS, or Windows 10)
  • The original OverDrive app (for all other library or school users on Android, Chromebooks, iOS, Fire tablets, or Windows 8/10)
  • OverDrive.com (for any user on a Windows or Mac computer)

2.) Borrow

  • Borrow a title from your library or school’s digital collection. You’ll need a valid library card or student ID to complete this step.

3.) Enjoy!

You can enjoy many titles immediately online, download them for offline use, or send borrowed eBooks to a Kindle device (U.S. libraries only) for the duration of your lending period. You can also transfer titles from your computer to compatible eReaders or MP3 players.

Do you know other ways to snag free or cheap eBooks?! Please share!

Join The Discussion

Comments 31

  1. Meghann

    I have a nook and read both kindle and nook books. You can get the free reading apps for pc for both. Barnes and Noble has a free book every friday. Just google “free book friday” and it is on the nookblog. Here is a link: https://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/The-NOOK-Blog/bg-p/Unbound/label-name/Free%20Fridays
    Then I always look through the comments because other people post free books. Another new website that mostly features kindle books is ereadergirl.com
    Any other free places would be great! I love my nook but don’t love to buy books. I also use Overdrive through my library and LOVE it!!!

    • Christy

      Thanks for the link and info! I have been using my local public library for a year or so to check out digital books and I love it! I also love my kindle but don’t love buying books!

      • jenjamsam

        Sign up at Jungle Deals & Steals daily email and get a list all the free ebooks for that day in you inbox. Also includes free Kindle Apps. https://jungledealsandsteals.com/
        LOVE it!!

    • Lindsay M.

      How do you read Kindle books on your Nook?

      • Meghann

        Well you can read them on the Kindle reading app for PC or I have a N2A card. Just google it and you will see what it is. I have a Nook Color. I actually made my own by finding directions online but if you are not very tech savvy it might be worth just buying it. They sell them on Amazon. It is just a sd card that you put in your Nook’s card slot and it boots in Android mode allowing you to read the Kindle books. The great thing is that it does not change or “root” your Nook. When you want to boot back into Nook mode you just power down, take the card out and boot back up.

  2. caroldawn

    I’ve been doing this for about 2-3 years now, but I only get audio books. It takes me forever to get through a book, but I’ve found that if I transfer it to my iPod it can stay there forever or until I get ready to delete it. If I put it on my iPhone then it gets zapped out at the end of the check out period.

    • Jen (@westcologirl)

      Really? I never put audio books on my ipod because I was afraid they would go away before I was done with them. I always burn them to cds (ugh – what a waste of cds!).Thanks for the tip! I would prefer to put them on my ipod!

  3. Desiree

    I love Overdrive. I use it all the time for my Nook. I even got my parents (one has a Nook, the other has an iPad) into using Overdrive.

  4. karen

    I check out audio books for my kids (age 6, 9, and 11) all the time from my library!!! So cheap and gets them listening to a good book when I can’t read to them. Some libraries have more than others though.

  5. Donna

    Hi – I’ve been doing this for about a month and really liked it until I checked out a book that I was only about half way thru after 2 weeks. You have no way to finish the book until you sign up again and get back in the waitlist rotation. I wish we could at least check them out for 4 weeks as I’m usually too busy to read a book in 2 weeks. I ended up buying the book on Amazon because I didn’t want to wait 6 weeks to finish it (there were 3 people in the wait list).

    • Melissa

      That’s the same problem I’ve come across. I hate to be rushed when I’m reading a good book and sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done and then take some time to read.

      • Casey

        You can change your settings from a 14-day to checkout to a 21-day checkout.

        • wonderwort

          You can only change the settings to 21-day checkout if your library pays for that option. But, if you have a nook, here is a tip – as long as you don’t turn off your Nook (just let it go into its sleep mode) and as long as you don’t switch out of the book that is overdue, you can just keep reading it for as long as your battery lasts (which with a nook is a long time). Just make sure the wifi is turned off in settings and make sure all you are doing with the nook is reading that particular book.

          • JoAnna

            It works the same way for my Kindle 🙂

  6. fingers

    I use a website where you share ebooks with each other. It’s a private group tho. I buy my programming books tho. No bueno on a Nook. Plus, I’m confused why ebooks are about the same price as a printed book … I’m calling you out Harlequin Presents!

  7. Liz

    I have the ‘free kindle books and tips’ app on my Kindle Fire, he list several free books a day through amazon. He also has a blog, http://www.fkbooksandtips.com, that you can see these deals. I have had my Kindle for about a year and have downloaded a ton of the books posted and very rarely buy books.

  8. Lindsay

    Thanks for promoting one of the many free services libraries offer! If you want to read classics, try Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org/). If you like science fiction and fantasy try Baen Free Library (https://www.baen.com/library/default.asp). Stop by your local library to find out what your library offers!

  9. Brandy

    I do this for my audio books. I just won a Kindle from my Christmas party and completely didn’t even think about using the e-library for that:)

  10. beth

    Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom has just created a new website called eReader Girl. It’s a great resource with a promising future. Check it out: https://ereadergirl.com

  11. Kristi

    I love bookbub.com. You can sign up for daily emails for certain categories of books – like romance, science fiction, mystery – so you only have to look through books you might actually be interested in. Most of the books are either free or 99cents.

    • Carla

      bookbub.com is my favorite site too – I love the books they offer (a mix of free books and low cost books) – and the daily email is a great way to let me know what is available rather than having to go check the site often.

  12. Donna

    My local library also has a service called “FREEGAL”. If you have access to it you can download 3 free mp3’s a week from a massive database. I love it. Since last spring I’ve downloaded over 100 free songs. Sweet!

  13. Stacy

    I love overdrive. Our library has been doing this for about 2 years and it is so popular all of the books have waiting lists.

  14. awesomeashley87

    How do you get this Overdrive thing downloaded on the Nook tablet? I’ve been trying to utilize the free books on my Nook, but I’m so confused!

    • Pam S

      I am a librarian and frequently teach classes on how to use Overdrive, Freading, OneClickDigital, and other free eBook and audiobook library services. For the Nook you will have to download free software from Overdrive called Adobe Digital Editions to your computer and then download the eBooks that and then to your Nook. Your public library website should have instructions on how to do this step by step. Or, you can Google it.

    • Mollie

      This works with any tablet or PC and the Kindle app too! I love non-proprietary devices (though I still have my nook that rarely gets used)!

      • Meghann

        Mollie look into a N2A card for your Nook. I made my own with directions online although it can be a little tricky. Amazon has them on their site to buy as well. It enables you to boot your Nook in Android mode and use the Nook reading app.

  15. Deb W

    Thank you, all, for the information. My boys are geeting Kindle for Christmas.
    When we tarvel, we take along a huge bag of books for them to read. Hoping this will cut down on our load. Any suggestions for sites geared towards kids books – 3rd grade and above?
    Thank you in advance and Happy Holidays

    • Liz

      kindlenationdaily.com is a great site to get free or cheap books, they even have a YA and Kids section. I would not let your child roam this site unsupervised though because there is also a erotica section, just fyi.

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