Digital Media FAQs

  • General Questions

    HCPL offers eBooks, eAudiobooks, digital magazines, digital newspapers, streaming video and access to learning platforms like LinkedIn Learning. Most of these are accessible on personal computers, smartphones and tablets.   

    You need to have an HCPL library card. We offer several different types of cards.  Visit Get a Card page to find out which library card is best for you.   

     This varies based on each service, but most of them offer tutorials and/or technical support.  You can also reach out to your local branch or via Ask Us for additional assistance.  

    This varies based on the service and please check the help guide for each resource. Overdrive is the most frequently used resource and the titles can be checked out up to 2 weeks. 

    That varies based on the service and many of them are unlimited access, but below are a few that have check-out limits.  

    • Overdrive: 30 titles at any given time 
    • Kanopy: 5 tickets per month 
    • Freegal: 3 downloads/month; unlimited streaming 

     Yes, you can! You might need to place a hold on an eBook or eAudiobook in our Overdrive/Libby collection. You can read more about how to place hold on Overdrive’s support site for the Libby app. 

     

    Yes, you can - if there are no other holds on the eBook or eAudiobook you have checked out in our Overdrive/Libby collection. You can read more about How to renew in Libby.

    Please use our purchase suggestion form and make sure to choose the format you want.  

     

    The publisher that owns the digital rights has to make it available for purchase to libraries in digital format. Not all items available in print are available in digital formats. 

    Most of our digital items are like print items and only one person can borrow one copy at a time. Sometimes titles are available as Simultaneous Use and an unlimited number of people can borrow that title at the same time. Publishers decide how digital items can be used. 

  • Kanopy

    Yes, after starting a video, you can watch it as many times as you want with the viewing period without using more tickets. 

    No! You have unlimited access everything in the Kanopy Kids section. 

    No. Some titles do not require tickets. Kanopy Kids, for example, do not require tickets. 

    No. Tickets do not roll over month to month. Any unused tickets will disappear at the end of the month and you will receive 5 tickets to be used during the current month. 

    You will have a “Continue Watching” shelf when you login to your account so you can pick up where you left off. 

    For titles with multiple episodes, like TV series and Great Courses, you will see what content your tickets will unlock (for example, “season 1” or “all”). 

    Many Kanopy users will remember that they are able to view three items (movies, TV series, Great Courses) per month. That is changing.  

    Starting January 1, 2024, users will be allotted 5 tickets each month. Different types of content will require different amounts of tickets and viewing periods. 

    The Kanopy app and desktop shows how many tickets are required for each title and how long you will have to watch the title or series. 

    Tickets do not roll over month to month. Any unused tickets will disappear at the end of the month 

    The change from credits to tickets was implemented by Kanopy. All libraries using the service must move to the ticketing system. 

    The decrease in number of tickets from 9 (effective November 1, 2023) to 5 (effective January 1, 2024) was due to an increase in price.

  • OverDrive/Libby Lending Partners

    Reciprocal borrowing means that Harris County Public Library patrons can borrow materials from other library systems using their HCPL library cards, and patrons of those libraries can borrow HCPL materials. HCPL has reciprocal borrowing agreements with Bellaire Public Library (BPL), Bryan + College Station Public Library System (BCSPLS), Montgomery County Memorial Library System (MCMLS), Pasadena Public Library (PPL), and, starting February 14, 2025, Houston Public Library (HPL).

    Each agreement between libraries is different. For instance, our agreements with BCSPLS and HPL only apply to digital collections (eBooks, downloadable audiobooks). Each agreement has limitations and restrictions. Visit our Reciprocal Borrowing Agreements page for full details of HCPL's reciprocal borrowing partnerships. 

    Starting February 14, 2025, Harris County Public Library library card users will have access to Houston Public Library’s OverDrive digital catalogs and the Libby App. This means HCPL patrons will have a broader selection of digital titles to check out.

    No, the agreement is limited to items in both library systems' OverDrive digital collections (which includes the Libby App). 

    It will not affect wait times for popular items. Patrons can only check out eBooks and downloadable audiobooks that are available for checkout in the partner library's collection. To put it more simply, Houston Public Library customers will not be able to place holds on Harris County Public Library items and will not be able to check out an item unless no Harris County patrons want it at the time. The same goes for HCPL cardholders using Houston Public Library's Overdrive catalog.

    Simply put, you will be able to check out available eBooks and downloadable audiobooks from HPL's and BCSPLS' OverDrive/Libby digital collections, but you will not be able to place holds on items in their catalogs. You will not be able to checkout print materials, DVDs, CDs or any other physical items from partner libraries with your Harris County Public Library card.

    The 'no holds' limitation was put in place so that wait times for high-demand and popular items, will not increase.

    You can access the Houston Public Library's  Libby collection two ways: either through the HCPL Overdrive website or through Libby web app or app on your device). 

    OverDrive Website

    1. Go to the HCPL Overdrive website
    2. Click on the Partner Libraries dropdown menu on the top right of the screen
    3. Click on Houston Public Library.
    4. This will take you to HPL's Overdrive page. Here, you can sign in with your Harris County Public Library card and PIN.   
    5. Browse the collection and check out available items! 

    Libby Web App or Libby App on your phone or tablet

    1. Open the Libby Web App or Libby App on your device
    2. Click on the Menu button (three horizontal bars) and select Add Library.
    3. Search for and select Houston Public Library,
    4. You will be taken to HPL's Libby page, click on Sign In.
    5. From the list of Partner Libraries, select Harris County Public Library, and sign in with Harris County Public Library card information.
    6. Once you are signed in, you can check out available HPL items.
    The same procedures can be used to check out digital items from Bryan + College Station Public Library System.
    IMPORTANT: Once you have added Houston Public Library to your account, you will have the HCPL and HPL collections available. You can search both collections at the same time using the Search feature or browse the featured titles for each library system by selecting them from the Your Libraries section on the Main Menu.  

    How to add a Partner Library in Libby 

     

    You can check out a total of 15 digital items at a time from Houston Public Library. This limit does not affect the number of items you can check out from Harris County Public Library's collection. In other words, Houston Public Library checkouts do not count against your checkout limit for Harris County Public Library titles. Harris County Public Library checkout limit for OverDrive/Libby items is 30.

    You can check out 3 items at a time from Bryan + College Station Public Library's OverDrive collection.

    [The information below applies to HCPL's agreement with the Bryan + College Station Public Library System. as well as Houston Public Library].

    The agreements only cover the libraries' OverDrive digital collections and the Libby App. You will not be able to check out print books, DVDs, CDs or any other physical items unless you have a Houston Public Library Card or BCSPLS Card.

    Additionally, certain collections, such as digital magazines, cannot be lent outside of the home library system due to agreements with publishers. When browsing the OverDrive catalog and the Libby App, HCPL customers will only see items in Houston Public Library's collection that are available to them for checkout..

    Houston Public Library Card eligibility information

    BCSPLS Library Card eligibility information

  • Changes to Libby & Overdrive

    OverDrive wants to make checking out ebooks and audiobooks simpler by having only one app. With Libby, they can add more features and enhancements.  

    The Overdrive app has officially been discontinued as of 5/1/2023. You can read more about it on this FAQ site created by Overdrive.  

    Yes. The Overdrive app has been officially discontinued effective 5/1/2023. You can read more about it on this FAQ site created by Overdrive.  

    As of 2/23/2022, the Overdrive mobile app is no longer available in the Apple App Store, Google Play, or the Microsoft store. Effective 5/1/2023 the Overdrive app has officially been discontinued. You can read more about it on this FAQ site created by Overdrive. 

    If you have a NOOK, Kobo, or similar e-reader, you can download books to a computer and then use Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) to transfer them to your device. 

    Right now, Libby isn't available on the Amazon Appstore. OverDrive is currently working with Amazon on this, but there is no information about when it will be available, yet. In the meantime, please use your Kindle Fire browser and go to libbyapp.com or hcpl.overdrive.com to access the items you have checked out.