Download Audiobooks - Bev Russell, Library Director

(This column appeared in the March 16, 2008, Star-Herald)

 

Today, I am turning over this column to our library audio book maven Jana Kehn. She will explain a new downloadable audio book service available at both the Scottsbluff and Gering Public Libraries.

You may recall back in December that I wrote an article on the many modes and methods of enjoying audio books. In that article I mentioned a new audible book checkout program, coming soon to the library. Well, guess what?!! It’s here!!

Twenty-five Nebraska libraries pooled resources, along with financial support from the Nebraska Library Commission, to bring this innovative service to you— the patron. From a home computer a library patron now can access to hundreds of audio book titles to check out and enjoy.

This program, called Nebraska Overdrive Libraries, may be accessed by going to our web site at www.scottsbluff.org/lib/ and clicking on the "download audio books" link. From here a patron may browse titles, install the free software needed to utilize Overdrive, and find e-help with answers to all the questions of the basics of Overdrive.

Should you decide to "check-out" or download a title, a library card is needed along with the downloaded free software from the site. The site may be browsed or searched for downloadable books. When you locate a title of interest, simply add it to your cart and check out the title. Then select the library you are checking out from and enter your library card number. Titles are checked out for a two week period. There are no late fees. At the end of the two-week period, titles will expire and be automatically "returned" to the library. If a desired title is not available, you may place a hold on that title.

Once you have checked out a title, a download page will be displayed. Click the download link to start the download. Once the download is complete, you can close your internet connection and enjoy the materials offline.

Materials can be listened to from you PC, transferred to a portable device (MP3 player, the e-help pages show which devices are supported), and in some cases burned to a CD (the publisher of each title decides whether or not to allow the title to be burned to CD). When you search for the desired title, and click the title to bring up the page displaying details about the title, information listed here will indicate whether or not the publisher has enabled the burn to CD functionality.

A patron may only check out three books at one time. If you listen to books often and in a two-week period would like more then three titles; here’s a solution for you! The Gering Public Library also has this resource. If you are a cardholder at both public libraries, six titles can be checked out in the two-week period—three from Scottsbluff, and three from Gering!

This may all sound complicated to the not-so-savvy computer user, but believe me, it’s not. The old adage, "If I can do it, you can do it" holds true in my case. Once you take the initial steps and get started it will, everything falls into place.

Overdrive titles include fiction, nonfiction, biographies, juvenile and teen, and much more. Here is a sampling of the great titles you will find:

The Appeal by John Grisham - This is Grisham’s first legal thriller since "The Broker".

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan – An historical fiction debut novel about the love affair between Mamah Cheney and the renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Boom by Tom Brokaw – Boom! One minute it was Ike, and the next minute it was time to Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out. In "Boom", Brokaw brings life to the tumultuous sixties.

The Worst Hard Times by Timothy Egan – This is the untold story of those who survived the Great American Dust Bowl.

Flush by Carl Hiaason – In this juvenile fiction novel, Noah knows it’s going to be a rough summer when he spends Father’s Day visiting his dad in the local lockup.

Library Patrons, now is the time to "get-down"… downloaded that is. Enjoy!

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