Farewell Zinio for Libraries - You Will Be Missed

It's been said before but this time they REALLY mean it, AND a new RBdigital app was released 5/1/18. So today's patron having problems may have "yesterday's" app.

Zinio for Libraries or ZFL and its app has reached "end of life" status, and now it's time to move on. As I said last time, Digital Magazines now appear along with our eAudiobooks on the RBdigital website.

If you are using the RBdigital app (and if not, why aren't you?) you may wonder what the fuss is about. The mags have been part of the RBdigital app since it launched. But change is hard, and some patrons have continued using the Zinio for Libraries app. Now, they just plain can't.

The vendor is emailing all ZFL users to tell them:

• They should download the RBdigital app
• It is accessible in the app stores with highlighted links to the downloads
• Their user name and password will remain the same as they migrate to the RBdigital app

Here's what you need to know: 

1.  With Zinio for Libraries web access, a PIN wasn't required and Library card numbers were not always needed, depending on cookies. But, as with most of our electronic resources, patrons now need to enter BOTH their Library and AND PIN when using a browser to reach the RBdigital website. 

2.  Not only is a "Zinio for Libraries" account login and password "compatible" with the RBdigital app for magazines/eAudiobooks, it's important that ZFL users do NOT register again. Without the same Zinio for Libraries account email/password, their previous magazine checkouts won't show up at RBdigital. 

3.  Critical:  After installing the RBdigital app, they must authenticate it with their User Name and Password, within the app. Anyone who forgot their ZFL Password -- or User Name (which is the *email address* used) should:

Go to our RBdigital website
Click to Login then Use the Reset link on Login screen 

4.  Once installed and authenticated, all previously checked out ZFL titles are migrated to the RBdigital app. It takes just a few minutes for the move. BUT for offline reading, titles must be downloaded again to a device using the RBdigital app.

Read more at the  Staff Guide  

You can also show patrons the About Guide

If patrons have additional questions, please direct them to:  yoursupport@recordedbooks.com. 

eAudiobooks at RBdigital

RBdigital - What's in a Name?

RB stands for Recorded Books, a longtime publisher of Audiobooks on CD for libraries. We still buy these - for some patrons they never go out of style. Of course as library material formats change, vendors must change too. We actually started with NetLibrary eBooks in 2001. OverDrive came along with their eAudiobooks in 2006, and hoopla in 2015. So, last year RBdigital was born. Now we have a steadily growing collection of nearly 500 RBdigital titles.

That may not sound like much, but these are best of the best!

• We've got lots of the Great Courses lectures - almost 200
• Those very comprehensive Pimsleur language courses for Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese. That's 30+ lessons per course with levels 1-5 available for each languages
• Some classic literature titles, courtesy of the Library of Virginia
• ​Popular eAudio titles plus some full author series not available at OverDrive or hoopla. Examples: C.J. Box; John Sandford; Alexander McCall Smith

That's the book stuff. What else do you need to know? A little tech stuff.

Most important: Users cannot enable the RBdigital mobile app until they have registered for a free RBdigital account. They can download the app. They can click a link on a title in the library catalog (all titles have a record) but that's IT until they register at RBdigital.

Are you up to speed?
Have a look at the About Guide on the Research Portal. Don't miss the Tips and FAQ pages. Also take a gander at the Staff Guide for more details.

Should a patron ask "how this" or "why that"...just remember that these eAudio titles function a bit differently than OverDrive or hoopla.

Feel free to show patrons the About Guide, and print any pages for them.

BUT, that's about all you should need to do.

For patrons with questions about their RBdigital account, download issues, media player functionality, etc. etc. - please direct them to the experts at RBdigital:

For All Support Issues

Patrons contact Recorded Books vendor directly
using any of these options:

1. Call Mon–Fri: 877-772-8346 
2. Send email to: yoursupport@recordedbooks.com  
3. Submit ticket via their Help Page (handiest from within the app)

P.S.
The RBdigital magazines (formerly Zinio) do appear with our eAudio titles in their app. Watch for them to show up on our RBdigital website sometime in March.