Free eMagazines from Cheshire East Libraries

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Over 2500 free eMagazines available now

We know it almost sounds too good to be true: digital editions of your favourite magazines, available on demand, and totally free.

Cheshire East libraries provide free eMagazines which are great for your bank balance and fantastic for the environment too, saving paper and ink, transportation and waste costs.

There are thousands of top titles available, from the Radio Times to Gardener's World, Empire to Ideal Home, Men's Health to Reader's Digest, Countryfile to New Scientist, Autocar to Cosmpolitan. There's something for everyone, whatever your interest.

In this Library News we will explain all you need to know about how to get started. 

Getting started with eMagazines from Libby

Libby is an app which Cheshire East Libraries use to enable customers to read their eMagazines. You will need to install the Libby app on your phone, tablet or device. Before you start you will need your library card number and password.

Library card number:  You'll find your library card number on the back of your library card. When entering your library card number, please remember to include all of the characters and omit any spaces.

Password: Your account password is the one you use to renew your items online and to access our computers or wifi in the library. If you're not sure of your password, you can reset it automatically online. Just tap the button below for further instructions.  

How to install the Libby app and get started

You can install the Libby App on many different devices including Android phones, iPhones, tablets and Chromebooks.

• Go to your device's app store
• Search for the Libby app by Overdrive
• Install the Libby app by Overdrive
• Open the Libby app by Overdrive
• Search for a library and type in Cheshire
• Select Cheshire Libraries
• Select Sign in with my card
• In the card number box, enter your library card number and press Next
• In the PIN box, enter your password - and press Sign in

Reading eMagazines on a computer or laptop

If you're using a desktop computer or laptop, or an older Chromebook, you still can use eMagazines through Libby online.  

• Open your web browser e.g. Google or Microsoft Edge.
• Click this link (or use the button below) to go to: https://cheshire.overdrive.com
• Press the green Sign in button
• In the card number box, enter your library card number
• In the PIN box, enter your password
• Press the green Sign in button

Now to the basics - borrowing, browsing, and back copies 

We have the latest edition of each eMagazine as well as a large number of back copies. All of our eMagazines are available immediately.

You can borrow as many eMagazines as you like.

The loan is for 3 weeks but don't worry about losing track of your loans because all eMagazines are automatically returned for you at the end of the loan period. There are no overdues and no charges. If you're still reading an eMagazine at the end of the loan period, you can renew it or borrow it again.

Finding an eMagazine to read couldn't be easier. You can browse through our specially curated shelves or you can select a subject and view all of the magazines in the collection.

Or, if you know exactly what you're looking for, you can use the search feature and Libby will offer title suggestions as you type.

Tips on how to make the most of eMagazines

Flipping through the pages of an eMagazine

We all know that the best way to read a magazine is to flip through the pages until you find something that sparks your interest - and our eMagazines are just the same.

You can quickly move through the magazine, jumping from page to page or through hundreds of pages at once by using the page browser.

To use this feature, open a magazine and instead of flicking left or right, just tap your screen. The menu will load, and the browse bar will appear at the bottom. If you're reading on the web, click the mouse in the bottom third of the screen, and the page browser will appear.

Now you can move through the pages. Don't worry if you go too far - you can always zoom back.

Once you've found a page you want to read, tap on it to load it. To hide the menu and page browser whilst you read, tap on the newly loaded page (i.e. above the page browser).

Our favourite feature - article mode

We might be biased, but we think article mode is an excellent innovation. If you've ever peered at a screen whilst trying to read the small text, this new feature is for you. It allows you to choose from a selection of different coloured backgrounds and font sizes to make it more readable. 

If an eMagazine is compatible with article mode, when you open a page with text on, you'll see a symbol of a page at the bottom of the screen. 

We've popped an example of how this looks for you below:

Tap on the page icon at the bottom of the screen.

Once article mode has loaded, press the 'A' symbol to change the display. You can set the background to dark or sepia instead of white, and you can raise the text size to a comfortable level which is great for a relaxing read in a dark room before bedtime.  

If you really love article mode (we do!), then you can also navigate the whole magazine in this way. On the menu, you'll see a group of icons: a left hand, a menu, and a right hand. The hands will move you through the magazine, whilst the menu icon will load a table of contents.

Tap on the table of contents, and you can see a list of all articles making it easy for you to find the one you're interested in reading.

Searching within an eMagazine

We're also really fond of the fantastic search tool which helps us to find articles we're interested in within an eMagazine.  

For example, you might borrow a cookery eMagazine to find the perfect salmon recipe, or a gardening eMagazine for recommendations on wildlife friendly plants, or a fitness eMagazine to help you to improve your bench press technique.

Instead of flicking through every page of every edition of your chosen eMagazine, you can use the search to find individual articles which match your interests.

Open an eMagazine and tap on the page. The page will look like the image above - with the browse menu at the bottom, and the main menu at the top. The second icon from the right is a magnifying glass.

Tap on the magnifying glass and enter your search term e.g. salmon, wildlife, bench press.

The search will check through the eMagazine and will return you a list of matches. Tapping on one of these will will take you through to the article.

Once you've read your chosen article, if you head back to the search, you'll find your previous search listed - just tap on it to perform the same search again.  

Information video and help guide

If you prefer to see this information on video, take a look at this:

Or you can read the full Libby help guide:

Tell your friends!

If you know someone who would enjoy eMagazines, please spread the word.
Click the buttons below to share this newsletter. 

Don't miss out - join the library

If you aren't already a member of Cheshire East libraries, joining is easy. Click on the button below, fill out the online form, and follow the onscreen instructions for a temporary library card.

Our team will set up your account so you can get started with eMagazines and you can collect a real library card by visiting one of our libraries in the future.

Any questions?

We're here to help - so if you have any questions about using the eMagazines service, then please get in touch with us at:  libraries@cheshireeast.gov.uk 

Or, pop into your local library and have a chat with our friendly staff.

We hope to see you soon