The Palace Project FAQs

What is The Palace Project?

• The Palace Project is a new portal for digital reading materials. It’s a way for patrons to see most of the digital materials available to them through our library. In the Palace Project app, ARLS patrons can see and access all of the digital eBooks and eAudiobooks we have in Libby/Overdrive, eRead Kids/Axis 360, as well as the new Palace Marketplace. Soon, they will also be able to see the ProQuest eBooks available in Galileo. Currently, they cannot access Hoopla materials or Libby/Overdrive eMagazines through the Palace app.

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. Patrons can see if a specific title is available from multiple distributors, and see which copies have no/low wait times.
• GPLS has added additional copies of high-demand titles in a statewide, shared Palace Marketplace. If patrons 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. Patrons 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). Patrons can go to The Palace Project – App Page to download the app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).
• To check out materials, patrons will need an active library card in good standing. The card must be issued by the Athens Regional Library System (prefix 2100100 or 2100190) and list an ARLS branch as their home library.

Do PLAY cards have access to Palace?

• PLAY cards should have access to all items in Palace. If staff members encounter access issues with specific cards, please reach out to Lindsay Josey or Jen Schumann.

Is Palace replacing Libby/Overdrive?

• The Palace app is not replacing Libby. The Palace app simply gives patrons the opportunity to see more of the digital titles available to them, and choose which copies they want to check out or place holds based on availability.
• Patrons’ Libby and Palace Project accounts are synced. If a patron places a hold on an item in Libby, it will also appear on their holds list in the Palace Project app. The opposite is also true – if they place a hold on an Overdrive title in the Palace app, that hold will show up in their Libby app.
• Patrons who prefer using the Libby app will still be able to access it like normal.

Is Palace replacing Hoopla?

• Hoopla will still work normally, through your Hoopla apps. If Hoopla items eventually become accessible through the Palace Project, we will be sure to let everyone know.

What devices are compatible with the Palace Project app?

• An updated list of compatible devices can be found here: The Palace Project – Device Compatibility