Are you addicted to listening to audiobooks as you walk around the Lake, or on your commute to work?
Beebe Library is pleased to announce the availability of free downloadable audiobooks, provided by a company called OverDrive, and courtesy of our membership in the NOBLE network (North of Boston Library Exchange). The collection includes fiction and nonfiction for adults, teens and children. You can audiobooks out with your library card, and download them for two weeks. Then you can listen to the books on your PC, or transfer them to an MP3 player or iPod. Some titles can also be burned to a CD.

Please note that the downloaded books can be enjoyed at home, at work, or when you travel, but are generally not for use on the computers in the library building. Downloadables are a great way to access audiobooks, and allow the library to expand its formats beyond the traditional books on cassette or CD that you may be used to.

To use this new free service, go directly to our collection of downloadable titles. You can find books you want by searching for a specific title, or browsing different categories. Browse genres of fiction, like mysteries or historical novels, romance, or science fiction – or nonfiction titles like biographies and books on how to learn a foreign language, or English for foreign speakers.

You can also browse new titles, or recently returned ones that were enjoyed by others. Browse by format to see which titles are compatible with your player, and even browse through only those titles that are currently available at the moment. If the title you want is unavailable, you can reserve it the same as you would for any other library item.

How do you get started? You need a valid library card, an Internet connection, and you’ll need to download the free OverDrive Media Console software, which will manage your audiobook selections. On our OverDrive web site you’ll find plenty of useful help in the “Getting Started” section at the top of the left hand menu. If you need help, by all means contact the library staff by phone or e-mail and we can assist you in getting started.

Downloadable titles can be “checked out” to your computer for a period of two weeks. After that they automatically expire and are available for the next person. In addition to listening to them on your PC or laptop, most titles can also be transferred to a portable device like an MP3 player or an iPod. Some can also be burned to a recordable CD. Because of licensing and digital rights management (DRM) restrictions from the publishers, not all titles can be listened to on all equipment, but the listings on our web site will clearly list which options are available for each book. Icons next to each title will show you if it is compatible with Apple devices.

We hope to expand the NOBLE downloadable collection over time, but as a Massachusetts resident you have other options as well. Boston Public Library’s OverDrive service is available to all residents of the Commonwealth. Again, you need a valid library card, but you can easily register online for a Boston Public Library card which will allow you to download their audio- and e-books as well.

People with visual impairments may also be eligible for services, including a large collection of downloadable audiobooks, from the Perkins School for the Blind.

Categories: Library News
Tags: audio, Audiobooks, book, books, downloadable, NOBLE, Overdrive, reading