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Stockholms stadsbibliotek

How it works

Frequently asked questions

E-books

What is an e-book?

An e-book is a book that has been converted to a digital format that can be read directly on a computer, tablet, phone or a dedicated e-book reader.

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How do I borrow an e-book?

1. First you will need a library card number from your library, as well as a PIN code. If you don't have a PIN code, please contact your library.

2. Log in with your library card number by clicking on "Log in" above and to the right, and input your library card number and PIN code.

3. Search for the book you want to borrow, either by the search function or using the category list under the heading "E-books".

4. Click on "Borrow". The book will now be added to the list of your borrowed books.

5. Click on "Read" to open to book directly in your web browser, och click on "Download" to download the book to your device. To download book you will need to install and authorize your device with a software that can read e-books. We recommend the following:


- PC/Mac: Adobe Digital Editions
- iPad/iPhone: Biblio app
- Android: Biblio app

See more instructions for every platform under their headings in "How it works".

We strongly recommend that you authorize your reader software with an Adobe ID before you download the book.
See instructions for this under the respective heading.

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How do I access the books I have borrowed?

You can always see which books you have borrowed, the remaining loan period, and borrow them again via "My pages". You can either download them to your device, or read them directly in your web browser.

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How long is the loan period for an e-book?

The loan period is between 7-28 days from when you've borrowed the book. The length of the loan is set byt the library and is depending on the book. Ask your library for more details.

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I'm logged in, but the book is still not available

This could be due to several reasons:

· You may have borrowed the maximum amount of books for the current period, please check under "My loans" to see how many books you have active.

· Your library has temporarily hit the limit for how many books they want to lend out.

· The book you are trying to to borrow is currently not available. For some books you can save a reservation which will tell you when it becomes available again.

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Why is it only possible to borrow a certain number of books?

The library decides the limit on the amount of books you can borrow per week. This is to control the cost of loans per borrower, and make it possible for as many people as possible to borrow books.

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What is the "reading list"?

The reading list is a way for you to remember which books you may want to borrow in the future. To add books to this list, visit any book page and click on "Save to my reading list" below "Borrow".

You can see the books in your reading list on "My pages". The books in your reading list will remain there until you remove them yourself. To borrow a book in your reading list, go to the book page and click on "Borrow".

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Which books are available?

The digital book catalog contains both fiction and non-fiction books, as well as books for children and young adults, from a large range of Scandinavian publishers.

It is up to the publisher to decide which books will be released in a digital format, and when. Most new books are eventually released as e-books, and there are a number of projects that aim to digitize backlist. The library also decides which particular books they want to add to their library catalog.

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What about all these different formats=

E-books are distributed in various formats.

EPUB

EPUB is the standard format for e-books. It is a so-called flowing text format, which allowes the text to adapt to your screen size, text size and font. This makes EPUB books suitable for reading on mobile devices such as e-book readers or phones.

Note that the e-books you are borrowing on this library is encrypted, and must be read using a software that is compatible with this.

Many books in the EPUB format are also available for reading directly in your web browser, which requires no special software.

Recommended software:

PC/Mac: Adobe Digital Editions

iPad/iPhone: Biblio

Android: Biblio

Read more about EPUB here.

PDF

PDF is a digital format that is primarily intending for printing, but it also utilized for e-books. PDF is a static format, which means that the book page will always look the same no matter the screen size, which could make the format hard to read on smaller screens.

Note that the e-books you are borrowing on this library is encrypted, and must be read using a software that is compatible with this.

Recommended software:

PC/Mac: Adobe Digital Editions

iPad/iPhone: Adobe Digital Editions

Android: Aldiko

Read more about PDF here.

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How large is an e-book?

A standard novel is generally between 250 KB and 1 MB depending on its length. If the book contains many images the file size is usually larger. The PDF is also generally larger than other formats.

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How do I return an e-book?

You don't need to return the e-book yourself, it will expire automatically when the loan period is over. Some books can be returned before the loan period is over. If that is the case, a "Return loan"-button is visible on "My loan", otherwise it is not possible and the loan will be automatically returned.

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Can I re-borrow an e-book?

Yes, you can renew any e-book again after the loan period has expired. Simply borrow the same book again. Note that this counts as a new loan, so any bookmarks, etc will not be transferred to the new loan.

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Can I print out my e-book on a printer?

No, most e-books are not possible to print. The e-books are primarily meant for reading on an electronic device. Any e-books that are printable will have this information in the book description.

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Can I read an e-book with a screen reader?

Since the library e-books are copy protected and most screen readers function by copying the text the answer is generally no. There are some exceptions to this, you can find more information from Adobe here.

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Audiobooks

What is a streaming audiobook?

A streaming audio book is an audio book that is played over the internet. You must be connected to the internet when you listen to the book. However, in Axiell Media's app Biblio, it's possible to download audio books to the app during the borrowing period, and listen offline too.

There are different audio players, depending on the device you are using:

  • For listening on computers, a Flash-based player is used, that will open in a new window when you click on "Listen". See more information here.
  • For listening on both iPad / iPhone and Android, you first need to install the Axiell Media audio book app Biblio, located in the App Store and Google Play. Read more here..
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How do I borrow streaming audiobooks?

1. First you will need a library card number from your library, as well as a PIN code. If you don't have a PIN code, please contact your library.

2. Log in with your library card number by clicking on "Log in" above and to the right, and input your library card number and PIN code.

3. Search for the book you want to borrow, either by the search function or using the category list under the heading "Audiobooks".

4. Click on "Borrow". The book will now be added to the list of your borrowed books.

5. Click on "Listen" to open the book. For more information on how this works on specific devices, see the specific section (PC/Mac, iPad/iPhone, Android)

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How do I access the books I have borrowed?

The streaming audiobooks that you have borrowed can be found under "My loans". When you log in with your library card number you can see all the streaming audiobooks you have borrowed in the past period. Click on "Listen" for the book you want to listen to, and the playback will start.

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Why do I need to be connected to the internet when I listen to streaming audiobooks?

You must be connected to the internet when listening to a streaming audio book because the files are played as streaming media directly over the internet. The audio files cannot be downloaded. However, if you listen through the Biblio app, you can choose to download the books. They are then available offline in the app during the loan period.

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How long is the loan period for streaming audiobooks?

The loan period for a streaming audiobook is between 7-28 days. There's no need to return a borrowed book, the link will expire automatically when the loan period is over. In some cases loans can be returned in advance, if that's the case a "Return loan"-button is visible on loan page.

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Is it possible to re-borrow a streaming audio book?

Yes, you can borrow the audiobook again after the loan period has passed. Simply borrow the same book again. Note that this will count as a new loan, so old bookmarks etc generally wont be accessible.

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Which audio player is used for streaming audiobooks?

See more information about this under each section: PC/Mac, iPad/iPhone, Android

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I can't play the audiobook, what can be done?

If you are having issues listening to the audiobook on your computer, you can find more information here. If you are having issues on your tablet or phone, please contact support. Back

Do the streaming audiobooks use cookies?

No, streaming audiobooks don't use any cookies.

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Can I listen to streaming audiobooks on my phone or tablet?

Yes. See more information about this under the respecive section: iPad/iPhone, Android

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