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What is The Palace Project?

  • The Palace Project is a new portal for digital reading materials.  It allows you to access library eBooks and audiobooks from multiple sources in a single app.
  • In the Palace Project app, you’ll be able to see and access all of the digital eBooks and eAudiobooks we have in Libby/Overdrive, eRead Kids/Boundless, as well as the new Palace Marketplace. Soon, you will also be able to see eBooks available from GALILEO.
  • Currently, titles in our Hoopla collection and the eMagazines available from Libby are not available in the Palace app. You will need those specific apps to access those materials.

What are some of the benefits of The Palace Project?

  • Palace brings most of the library’s eBooks and audiobooks together into a single, easy-to-use app. This means fewer apps for you to have on your phone, and possibly shorter wait times for popular titles!
  • The Georgia Public Library Service has added additional copies of high-demand titles in a statewide, shared Palace Marketplace. If you are seeing long holds wait times in other apps, it might be available or have a shorter wait time in Palace!
  • Looking for kids’ books in languages other than English? Palace has a wide selection of titles in Spanish, French, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and many other languages that are always immediately available.
  • Palace also offers their own library of free, on-demand access to public domain works like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, A Christmas Carol, and many more classics—always available with no wait times. You can access this by tapping on the Palace logo in the upper left corner of the app and adding “Palace Bookshelf” as another library.

How do I access Palace?

  • The Palace Project is currently only available as an app (there is no desktop version). Visit The Palace Project – App Page to download the app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).
  • To check out materials, you will need an active PINES library card in good standing. The card must be issued by the Athens Regional Library System and your account must list an ARLS branch as your home library.
  • If you have a card from a non-PINES Georgia library, they may have a separate collection available in the app. Contact that library to see if your library card with them can be added to your app.

Do PLAY cards have access to Palace?

  • PLAY cards should have access to all items in Palace. If you are encountering issues accessing Palace with a PLAY card, contact the Circulation Department at the Athens-Clarke County Library.

Is Palace replacing Libby/Overdrive?

  • No, the Palace app is not replacing Libby. If you prefer using the Libby app for eBooks and audiobooks, you are welcome to do so! The Palace app simply allows you to see more of the digital titles available to you from multiple digital collections at once. All titles that are available on Libby are also available on Palace; but, not all titles on Palace will be available on Libby.
  • Your Libby and Palace Project accounts are synced. If you place a hold on an item in Libby, it will also appear on your holds list in the Palace Project app. The opposite is also true – if you place a hold on an Overdrive title in the Palace app, that hold will show up in your Libby app.
  • At this moment, digital magazines are only available via the Libby app.

Is Palace replacing Hoopla?

  • No, Palace is not replacing Hoopla.
  • At this time, titles in Hoopla are only available via the Hoopla app.

What devices are compatible with the Palace Project app?