Submitted by Staff on
The WPLC support email (wplc-info@wils.org) got a small flurry of questions about returning OverDrive books early, so here’s a refresher in case you get these, too, and a little new information. Disregard if you don’t dabble in patron support.
The new piece of information from OverDrive:
Normally, titles returned via Kindle or the OMC app are removed from the account within 10-20 minutes, usually less. However, sometimes there are communication issues between Amazon and the library server, or with Adobe’s server. This can cause titles to not return properly. Recently, there have been a few temporary outages that have caused titles to be returned from the applications, but not from the user’s account. We have resolved those outages, and the return feature is functioning normally now.
Returning books early depends on the format and the device; for the most detail, search for “return” on the OverDrive help page:
http://help.overdrive.com/search-results?indexCatalogue=helparticles&searchQuery=return&wordsMode=0
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This is our boilerplate response to the question, with key points highlighted:
You don’t have to return books– when the loan is expired, the book is inaccessible and it’s considered returned. No late fees ever!
Due to our agreements with publishers, WMA audiobooks cannot be returned before the lending period is up. But you can return other books early depending on format and what you are using:
Early return using the Overdrive app on your Android, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, BlackBerry and Windows mobile device, as long as your app is up-to-date. To return a book early (basic steps):
- Open the Overdrive app on your device
- Locate the item on your app “Bookshelf”
- Touch the “plus” sign that appears beside the title that you would like to return and delete. On some devices, look for the menu.
- Choose the “Return/Delete” button. Selecting Delete only will delete the title from your device, but you will still have it checked out.
Instructions for returning Kindle titles early from the Your Orders section of Manage Your Kindle:
- Click the “+” symbol next to the loaned title.
- Click the Delete this Title button.
- Click Yes in the pop-over window to confirm the return.
Information about Kindle formats can be found on the Amazon pages: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_200549320_faq?nodeId=200549320&#faq
To return Adobe eBooks early in Adobe Digital Editions, follow these steps:
http://help.overdrive.com/article/0128/How-to-return-titles-using-Adobe-Digital-Editions
- Open Adobe Digital Editions.
- Select the ‘Library View’ icon (in the upper left corner).
- The Adobe Digital Editions library is displayed.
- Under the ‘Bookshelves’ heading, select ‘Borrowed’.
- Click the eBook you want to return.
- Click the ‘Item Options’ arrow (in the upper left corner of the selected eBook).
- Select ‘Return Borrowed Item’.
- Click ‘Return’ to verify that you want to return the title. The eBook is then returned to the library collection.
Do not delete the titles: choose the option to return the item.
To return MP3 audiobook using OverDrive Media Console for Windows (version 3.2.2.0)
http://help.overdrive.com/article/0624/How-to-return-a-borrowed-MP3-audiobook-using-OverDrive-Media-Console-for-Windows