The Maine InfoNet Download will be migrating to the Overdrive/Libby eBook and Audiobook platform on February 1, 2027.
FAQ for Libraries and library staff:
Please check here frequently for updates and new questions
- Why is the statewide downloadable book platform changing from CloudLibrary to OverDrive?
- What is the timeline for the change to take place?
- What impact will this change have on people who use the platform regularly?
- What will happen to the “Private Cloud” collection that my library has invested in?
- I’m concerned about the privacy of personal information on the OverDrive platform. What is in place to protect the privacy of patron information?
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Why is the statewide downloadable book platform changing from CloudLibrary to OverDrive?
In 2025, Maine InfoNet and Maine State Library convened a Statewide eBook Task Force comprised of librarians across Maine to review our current Download Library service. Information about the work of the task force can be found here. After months of investigation and a September 2026 survey to all libraries in Maine [Survey Response Summary], the task force has agreed that moving to the OverDrive platform will significantly benefit all users.
- Libby, the mobile app used by Overdrive, provides a better user experience, including quicker searching and filtering, clear and consistent design, and regular upgrades and improvements. The Libby app includes many features that have been requested by our patrons and staff. These include such features as display copies and hold numbers for waitlists and display of series information in brief results screens among others.
- Overdrive’s purchasing system, offers more flexibility in licensing, with more perpetual access options and additional simultaneous use models. This will allow us to spend our collections budget more effectively.
- OverDrive supports the Kindle app and Paperwhite eReader, functionality that has been requested by many Maine residents.
What is the timeline for the change to take place?
The current annual contract with OCLC for the CloudLibrary service expires at the end of February 2027. We will transition to the OverDrive platform as of February 1. Over the next three months, Maine InfoNet and the eBook Task Force will work closely with OverDrive to ensure library staff are familiar with the platform prior to the switch.
What impact will this change have on people who use the platform regularly?
When the new system comes online on February 1, checkouts and holds will NOT transfer from CloudLibrary to OverDrive / Libby. Users will be responsible for recording this data, as well as replacing any checkouts and holds after the transition. Checkout history will also not transfer from CloudLibrary to Overdrive.
What will happen to the “Private Cloud” collection that my library has invested in?
Libraries that have licensed content locally through CloudLibrary (called a “Private Cloud”) will have the option to migrate current content to their Overdrive collection for no additional fee. These accounts, called ‘Advantage Account’ function similarly to Private Cloud accounts- content licensed by an individual library is available first to the licensing library’s patrons. Overdrive has assured us that libraries choosing to migrate content to Advantage Accounts will not loose titles, and expiring content will be migrated with the remainder of unused time or checkouts still available.
I’m concerned about the privacy of my personal information on the OverDrive platform. What is in place to protect the privacy of my information?
OverDrive does not sell or share an individual’s personal information with Amazon. When a user borrows Kindle content in OverDrive, the item’s title, expiration date, and loan identification number are shared with Amazon to complete the checkout.
Content borrowed in other formats or used on other devices requires no interaction with Amazon.
