Downloadable Audio Books

Overdrive, our new downloadable audio product, is up and running and it  features lots of NYT best sellers.  You’ll be able to download 2 books at a time and you’ll choose whether you want them for 7 days or 14 days. You can place up to two holds at a time.  Many titles are  iPod compatible.   To go to Overdrive’s Help Center, click here or for a brief summary, read on.  To start downloading right now, click here.

About the Collection
The only format we have is downloadable audiobooks.

• An audiobook is a recorded reading of a book that can be downloaded and enjoyed on a computer or portable device. It is not an eBook. An eBook is a digital book, magazine, or graphic novel that can be downloaded and read on a computer or portable device.

A large part of the collection will work with i-pods as well as mp3 players. Most will be MP3 (OMA) because it is most compatible, some will be WMA (OAB) if it is the only way an important title can be included.

Most are popular fiction targeted to adults.  All are unabridged.

There are currently 267 titles in the collection.  More will be added during the year.  Only single copies of each item will be purchased at this time.

You will not be able to check out an downloadable audio book if your card is expired or you owe over $10.

The PIN  OverDrive uses is the same PIN as the PIN you use for your library account.

How Check-out Works
The majority of items in the collection (except for those indicated as ‘Always Available’) can be checked out by one patron at a time.
At checkout, you’ll  pick a loan period of either 7 or 14 days.

At the end of that time period the item will expire automatically and will return to the collection automatically. You can’t ‘return’ it early.

You can have up to 2 titles checked out at one time.

If the title you want is already checked out you can get on the waiting list. You can have up to 2 items on your waiting list at one time.

When a title you’ve placed a hold on is ready, you’ll get an e-mail from noreply@midhudson.org At this point, you’ll have 3 days to check out the title, otherwise it goes to the next person on the waiting list.

A Little Explanation
Are you wondering how WMA Audiobooks and MP3 Audiobooks differ?
MP3 Audiobooks are considered the “most compatible” as they are compatible with many devices including most cell phones, PDAs, and MP3 players.

If you wish to transfer audiobooks to a device (other than the Apple iPod or iPhone) that plays MP3 audio files but does not support DRM-protected WMA files, you must pick MP3 Audiobooks.

WMA Audiobooks are about half the file size of MP3 Audiobooks but maintain the same level of audio quality. They are generally compatible with portable devices that support DRM-protected WMA files encoded at a bit rate of 32kbps.

Many OverDrive WMA Audiobook titles can be transferred to Apple devices (where permitted by the publisher).