The Zinio App and Additional Recent Digital FAQs

Between special programs like our January E-reader Rescue Weekend sessions, our regular Downloadable Media Clinics, and more casual conversations with those who use the library's digital resources, we at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library get a lot of great tech questions, some of which come up repeatedly.

Below, check out paraphrased versions of these recurring questions, as well as their answers. If you've struggled with similar queries, we hope this information will help. If it doesn't, or if you have other questions, please drop by our Downloadable Media Clinics, which take place every Tuesday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. or contact us at georgetownlibrary@dc.gov or 202-727-0232 to set up an appointment at a more convenient time.

Question: I want to use Zinio Digital Magazines to read digital versions of print magazines including The Economist and US Weekly for free. I downloaded the app, but when I search on the app for issues to borrow for free through the library, I only see options to buy them. What should I be doing?
Answer: The Zinio app isn't an all-in-one tool like many other apps. In fact, it's better to think of the app as a support tool for the website that you access through your Web browser, as you can read library issues on the app, but you cannot download library issues using it.

Instead, you must use the browser on your tablet or your laptop or desktop computer and complete the entire Zinio magazine downloading process. If you aren't familiar with this process, check out DC Library's guide on accessing Zinio Digital Magazines, which lists all necessary steps.

Once you have completed this entire process, you should be able to read your magazine in whatever browser you are using, and this is the point at which you can read it on your app as well:

1. Open the Zinio app. (If you don't have it, you'll need to download it from your device's app store.)
2. Click on the Read icon.
3. Sign in using your Zinio account email and password -- that is, the second email and password you are asked to enter when you download the issue using your browser. The magazine that you downloaded using your Web browser should be waiting for you to read. 

Caution: If you are using the browser available on your tablet, make sure you refuse any offers to be re-routed to the Zinio app before you finish the entire downloading process. You should complete all of the steps on your browser and -- only at that point -- open the Zinio app and sign in to read your issue. And, if you have trouble using your tablet browser, re-try the process using the browser on your laptop or desktop computer.

Question: I have an iPad, and, since the Overdrive upgrade last fall, I cannot return my library e-books early. Can I still return these e-books as soon as I'm done with them?
Answer: Yes. To return a book before the 21-day loan period is over on the iPad, go to the Bookshelf within the OverDrive app. Hold your finger down on the book you want to return. Three options will appear: Delete, Return, and Share. To return the book, click Return. (Clicking Delete will remove the book from your device, but it will still be checked out on your account until the 21 days are over.)

Question: I was always told that OverDrive e-books were non-renewable, but I've noticed a "Renew" button showing up in OverDrive next to titles I have checked out that are about to be returned. Will it work? And why doesn't that option appear for every book I check out?
Answer: Yes, you can now renew some OverDrive e-books beyond the 21-day loan period. However, if there are holds on the title you have checked out, the title is not eligible to be renewed, and it will return itself automatically after 21 days. If you have an item that has no holds, a green Renew button will appear next to it in OverDrive three days before the 21 day loan period is set to end. If you want to renew that item, click on the Renew button and follow the few subsequent steps, which are illustrated in detail on the OverDrive Help: How to Renew Digital Titles Web page.

(Question mark image by Easter's Design and Illustration/Bing)