Borrow an ebook
Follow these instructions to download and borrow ebooks from the City of Sydney's library network.
Project Status: When you need to do this
We provide ebooks for loan. There are easy to use apps for smart phones and tablets. You can also download ebooks straight to your device through our online catalogue or directly from BorrowBox, Indyreads, ProQuest, Overdrive and Libby.
Animated talking books, read-alongs and ebooks for children aged 3 to 11 are available through Tumblebooks.
If you want to read an ebook from our extensive collection, see below how to use the simple apps or how to get set up to download to other devices.
What you need to do
There are a few ways to borrow and read ebooks.
If you're a library member and have a smartphone or tablet, you can browse, borrow and read ebooks within the BorrowBox, Indyreads, Libby and Overdrive apps. BorrowBox also has an app for Kindle Fire.
- Download the BorrowBox, Indyreads, Libby and Overdrive apps available for your device.
- Log in by selecting City of Sydney Library and using your library membership number and PIN.
As a first time user, you may also need to add some registration details such as an email address.
You can also log in to the library's online catalogue and borrow ebooks which will be automatically synced to the app on your device.
To read books on a compatible ebook reader, computer or another device without the app, you’ll need an Adobe ID. If you already have an Adobe ID and compatible ebook reader then you're ready to go and you can jump ahead to the section below titled borrowing ebooks.
Otherwise, there are a few things you'll need to set up before you can start.
Setting up
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Create an Adobe ID
Visit Adobe.com and register to get an Adobe ID.
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Load software onto your computer or device
Visit the Adobe Digital Editions website and download the version for your platform.
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Authorise your Adobe Digital Edition
Find the authorise section for your version of Adobe Digital Editions and type in your Adobe ID. Remember you must use the same Adobe ID if you intend to read across multiple devices (maximum 6 devices).
What if I use an ebook reader?
For ebook readers, you will need to authorise your reader through Adobe Digital Editions. To do this:
- Connect your device to your computer, launch Adobe Digital Editions and follow the prompts to authorise your device.
- Check the list of ebook readers supported by Adobe Digital Editions.
- When you have your Adobe ID and authorised your device/s, you're ready to download ebooks.
Borrowing ebooks
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Login to your library account
- Visit the online catalogue and select login/renew at the top.
- Enter your library account with library card number barcode (or alias) and PIN (or password).
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Find the ebook you want to read
Search for ebooks by title, author or subject and change the format to ebook. Alternatively, you can browse by clicking on the digital library tab and selecting ebooks..
To search the full collection of Indyreads, click on the digital library tab and select Indyreads.
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Download the ebook to your device
Once you have found the ebook you wish to borrow, click on the book cover then:
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Click the download tab
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Click access ebook online.
This will take you to the ebook platform page.
- Click borrow to confirm that you want to borrow the ebook and enter your library card number and PIN again to complete your loan.
Clicking download will guide you through the download options for your device.
For Overdrive and ProQuest eBook Central, clicking read online will open the book in your browser to read without downloading the book to your device.
Depending on your device or browser, a pop-up window will appear. Clicking open will access Adobe Digital Editions and your download will start. Or the download will automatically go to a pre-designated folder on your device, in which case opening the file will launch Adobe Digital Editions and your download will start.
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About our ebook collections
Thousands of fiction and non-fiction ebook and eaudio titles.
There’s an easy to use BorrowBox app for smartphone and tablet users.
Loan limit: 5 ebooks and 5 eaudio books. Reserves count as a loan.
Loan period: 14 days.
Renewals: items may be renewed twice.
Fiction and non-fiction ebook and eaudio titles.
There’s an easy to use Libby app for smartphone and tablet users.
Loan limit: 10 ebooks or eaudiobooks total
Loan period: 7 days, 14 days, 21 days. Choose your loan period. Default is 14 days.
Renewals: items may be renewed if there are no reservations.
Independent Australian and international titles, classic literature, and modern award-winning titles in ebook and eaudio format.
There’s an easy to use Indyreads app for smartphone and tablet users.
To borrow using computer and ebook readers:- Visit the Indyreads website and select login at the top.
- Select City of Sydney as the library and enter your library membership number and PIN.
- Once you have found the ebook you wish to borrow, click on the cover, and select borrow.
- Clicking Read in Nubereader will open the book in your browser to read without downloading the book to your device.
- Clicking Download for Adobe Digital Editions will take you through the steps to download the title to your device.
Loan period: 21 days
Renewals: items may be renewed if there are no reservations- Visit the Indyreads website and select login at the top.
- Mostly non-fiction ebooks to read online or download to your computer.
There’s no app for this collection.
Computer and ebook reader users can borrow ebooks from the library’s online catalogue and the eBook Central website. Login with your library card number and PIN.
Loan limit: unlimited
Loan period: up to 14 days
Renewals: no renewals - Animated talking books, read-alongs, ebooks and graphic novels for children aged 3 to 11. There is also a selection of titles in Spanish and French.
There is no app for this collection.
To start reading, login to Tumblebooks with your library card number and PIN.
