Library allows digital audio-book downloads

Filed under: Audio, Internet, Text, News, Windows, Web services

Library allows digital audio-book downloads

by Ryan Carter Sep 21st 2006

In Warren, Ohio the public library is allowing their patrons to download digital copies of audio-books in an unabridged format so listeners can get the full "text" of the book they want to listen to. Listeners must have a valid library card to download the books, that patrons can listen to for 21 days. At that time the books erase themselves. There are currently 1100 titles in the library's archive available for download. To listen to the audio-books you have downloaded, you must have a Windows Media 9.0 or higher compatible device. The citizens of Warren will benefit from the library's advanced digital book-borrowing service, that should increase by about 30 titles a month. Here is proof that Libraries and the Internet are not enemies, or at least don't have to be. They compliment each other quite nicely in fact.

Tags: book, download, library

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Evan said 7:54PM on 9-21-2006

wow, and I thought New Mexico was really low-tech. We've had that at the Rio Grande Valley Public Library for....well, a while now.

Sam Abuelsamid said 10:50PM on 9-21-2006

The problem with this service is that the books use windows drm meaning that they are incompatible with 80+% of the mp3 players that people use, namely ipods. My local library offers the same service from netlibrary.com. Fortunately, as always drm is completely useless and easily circumvented, although I would never stoop to violating the dmca.

Rich said 1:45PM on 9-22-2006

Santa Monica Library also offers this service..

http://www.smpl.org/netlibrary/

Requires Windows Media Player, of course. And if you want to take it to-go, you'll need an MP3 player that is compatible with Microsoft's PlaysForSure thing.

Dave Provost said 8:42PM on 9-24-2006

My library (and most of them in Massachusetts) use the netlibrary service for this, too. What I'd really like to see is downloadable e-books that I can read on my PDA. And they really need to partner with Apple to get these to be iPod-friendly.

mike said 7:52AM on 10-20-2006

NYPLis also offering audio books using MIcrosoft's copy protection scheme. The books can be downloaded to computers and portable music players that support the MS DRM, which excludes the iPod which can't play these books,but most of the people using ipod's,that's way this feature is not useful for more people.some libraries like netlibrary providing ipod facility.
http://www.karaditales.com

mike said 9:09AM on 10-20-2006

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