Lucius Beebe Memorial Library » Audiobooks

June Is Audiobook Month

Mark Sardella — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:07:43 +0000

Get Caught Listening® is an awareness campaign sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association to raise awareness of the entertainment and educational value of audiobooks.
The association provides interesting information about audiobooks and their listeners, including:

Audiobook listeners are avid readers who use audiobooks as a way of enjoying an author’s work when they are not able to read.
Many authors love audiobooks. Scott Turow, Janet Evanovich, Judy Blume, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Tom Wolfe, Lisa Scottoline — all listen to audiobooks.
Most listeners use audiobooks in the car (whether they are commuting or on driving vacations) but an increasing number of people also report using audiobooks while they are exercising, cooking, gardening — and even at work.
The average audiobook listener spends about 5 hours a week listening.
Audiobooks are great for family listening on the road this summer–nothing ends the “Are we there yet?” blues like a great audiobook. Audiobooks keep everyone in the car entertained while also increasing literacy skills. Families can even knock out a few of the titles on a kid’s summer reading list on the way to vacation.
Audiobooks are a great tool for building literacy. Teachers and librarians report that listening to audiobooks helps children build better vocabularies and also helps them to read with better expression.

2011’s Audiobook of the Year is Life, by Keith Richards, read by Keith Richards, Johnny Depp, and Joe Hurley.
Audies are awarded annually to those audiobooks judged to be exceptional in their category. You can hear clips and read reviews of nominated audiobooks in all categories at http://www.theaudies.com/
Explore Beebe Library’s collection of audio options. Books on CD and “Playaways” can be found on our shelves, while even more titles are available for download from our website using Overdrive. Tips for downloading to your particular device are available through the library’s web site on the Overdrive page. For additional information or assistance ask a librarian.

Downloading ebooks & audiobooks with Overdrive

Mark Sardella — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:42:21 +0000

With the OverDrive downloadable collection provided by the NOBLE network, Beebe Library patrons can access a growing selection of ebooks and audiobooks, fiction and nonfiction, for adults, kids, and teens. Browse or search NOBLE’s online digital collection and then download titles to your computer, smartphone, ereader, or other device.

Need help? OverDrive has information to get you started:
The Quick Start Guide – has step-by-step instructions with links to more help.
The Digital Help FAQ – has answers to common questions about how OverDrive works and how to troubleshoot problems.
The Compatibility Guide – will help you determine which devices are compatible with the OverDrive service.
You can also e-mail NOBLE’s OverDrive tech support staff with specific questions via their support page.
And by all means contact us at Beebe Library if you have questions or comments.

OverDrive is now available for Kindle users!

As of September 2011, OverDrive is also now finally available for Amazon Kindle users! Browse our collections, check out a title, and then transfer it to your Kindle. For more information, check out Amazon’s web site or the announcement from OverDrive. There is also a nice YouTube video to help you get started.

As a Massachusetts resident you can also access the large OverDrive collection made available by the Boston Public Library to all residents of the Commonwealth. You need a valid library card, but you can easily register online for a Boston Public Library card which will allow you to download BPL’s audiobooks and ebooks as well.

New “Playaway” Titles

Mark Sardella — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:44:16 +0000

Self-contained audiobooks
The library has just added 30 new audiobook titles in the “Playaway” format. Playaway is billed as the simplest way to listen to audio on the go. Each Playaway is the size of a deck of cards and comes with the digital book content already pre-loaded on it and a battery to make it play. Simply plug earbuds or headphones into the universal jack and enjoy.
Among the new Playaway titles are: Blue Eyed Devil, by Robert B. Parker; 9th Judgment, by James Patterson; Eclipse, by Stephanie Meyer; The Shack, by William P. Young; Fantasy in Death, by JD Robb, and many more.
Check out the new Playaway display next to the Circulation Desk. You can borrow Playaways for three weeks at no charge.

More Free Downloadable Audiobook Titles Available for iPods

Mark Sardella — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:27:51 +0000

Expanded Selection of iPod Compatible Audiobook Titles Available

Overdrive, the company that supplies Beebe Library’s collection of free downloadable audiobooks, has announced that it is expanding its selection of iPod-compatible audiobook titles for libraries by making the vast majority of existing audiobook titles on library download websites playable on iPod® and other Apple® devices after a simple upgrade of OverDrive’s free, easy-to-use audiobook software.

OverDrive Media Console’s enhanced Transfer Wizard will expand the largest selection of iPod-compatible audiobook titles for libraries by making the vast majority of existing audiobook titles on library download websites playable on Apple® devices. Best sellers such as Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight,” Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers,” John Grisham’s “The Appeal,” and Chuck Palahniuk’s “Pygmy” from libraries and retailers in OverDrive’s global network will become iPod-compatible downloads, along with highly-anticipated releases like Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” and Tami Hoag’s “The Trouble with J.J.”

“iPod-compatibility instantly adds value to digital media catalogs powered by OverDrive and further expands the collection to the millions of iPod owners eager to download from the library,” said David Burleigh, director of marketing for OverDrive. “A simple software upgrade is all it takes to allow the transfer of thousands of additional bestsellers to the popular media player.”

Once OverDrive Media Console version 3.2 is installed, most titles in a library’s OverDrive WMA Audiobook collection will instantly become iPod-compatible for users with Windows PCs. The growing collection of iPod-compatible, Mac®-friendly OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks will still be available to help libraries better serve patrons with Apple computers.

Use this handy cheat sheet to help determine which devices are compatible with the e-books you download through the library.

All you need is a library card to begin downloading and enjoying free audiobooks from Beebe Library. More information on this service.

Overdrive

Leane Ellis — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:45:56 +0000

If you like listening to audiobooks, take a look at this new library service! You can browse through a collection of audiobooks including fiction and nonfiction for adults, teens and children, check them out with your library card, and download them for two weeks. You can listen to the books on your PC, or transfer them to an MP3 player. Some titles can also be burned to a CD.

Use this handy cheat sheet to help determine which devices are compatible with the e-books you download through the library.

Download Audiobooks — Browse or search our collection, download the special software you need, check out some books, and enjoy listening!

Downloadable Audiobooks Are Here!

Mark Sardella — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:05:44 +0000

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.

Use this handy cheat sheet to help determine which devices are compatible with the e-books you download through the library.

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.