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How do I download an audiobook from OverDrive?

Learn how to listen to an audibook on the go for FREE!

Need Help?

Ask a Librarian @
Betty Sue Jessup Library

501 College Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.961.5309
reference@pvcc.edu

Downloading an OverDrive audiobook to your smartphone

OverDrive app on smartphoneStep 1:

Download the OverDrive app to your phone from the App Store or the Google Play Store.  

Step 2:

​Sign up for an OverDrive account.  Use your preferred email address.  It does not have to be your college email address.  You can also sign up with your Facebook account.   

Step 3:

Click "Add a library," and search for "Piedmont Virginia Community College."  Select it, and then select "Virginia Community College System."  Our library is now added to your app.

Step 4:

Find an audiobook.  Select the cover, and then select "Borrow."  Sign in with your myPVCC credentials.  (Note: If an audiobook is already checked out by someone else, you can also select "Place a Hold" and it will be checked out when the other person's checkout period is over.  You'll receive an email when it's available for you.)  

Step 5:

Select the number of days for which you want to borrow it (options include anywhere from 7-21 days, depending on the audiobook).  Select "Borrow."

Step 6:

Click "Download MP3 audiobook."  This will prevent you from using your data when you listen to it on the go!  The audiobook will be active for the amount of time you chose, at which time it will deactivate automatically and "return" to OverDrive.  You can either renew it before then or download it again once it expires (as long as no one else has placed it on hold).      

Tips!

tip

  • If you finish an audiobook before it expires, click "Return Title" in the Loans screen.  A limited number of downloads are allowed for a single audiobook, so returning it if you finish early will allow others to listen to it.
  • If you have a way to connect your phone to your car (Bluetooth, USB, or aux cable), then you can listen to the audiobook while you drive!
  • You can add other libraries to your OverDrive app.  For example, you can add Jefferson-Madison Regional Library to your OverDrive app.  They will have different audiobooks (and ebooks) in their collection.
  • You can borrow up to 4 audiobooks at one time.