Many of our eBooks are licensed to us for a limited period of time, or a limited number of checkouts. When these limits have been passed, we no longer have access to the titles.
In the past, we have routinely re-licensed these titles. However, the demand for eBooks is increasing at a faster rate than the budget. When we receive additional funds (in the new fiscal year--that is after July) we begin to order these titles again.
These titles still appear in the catalog, but with no copies owned. Patrons can still place holds on these titles. Once we have funds again, we will begin ordering expired titles with holds.
We run a weekly report to determine these titles, so patrons who place holds should not have to wait very long to get the books. And, of course, once we reorder, copies of these titles will remain in our OverDrive catalog until their licenses again expire. Then the process will begin all over again.
So the bottom line is, you can place holds on these "disappearing" eBook titles, and you should be able to check them out in a relatively brief period of time.
To recommend an eBook for purchase consideration, please see this FAQ.
Please feel free to let us know if you need any further information, anytime! We truly appreciate your service and use of our libraries and all the resources we offer.