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Overview

The NetLibrary eAudiobook Collection

The latest best-sellers, book club favorites, timeless classics and award-winning literature may now be delivered to your users in an easily accessible format direct from your library's Web site—anytime, anywhere. NetLibrary eAudiobooks feature an extensive collection of 9,000 titles in numerous subject categories that appeal to listeners of all ages. We add new titles daily and most are unabridged.

eAudiobooks are narrated by their respective authors, trained narrators or well-known actors. They are professionally produced in recording studios for superior sound quality and have earned numerous prizes including Audiofile Magazine's Earphone Awards for Excellence and the Audie Awards from the Audio Publishers Association.

Our team works closely with leading audiobook publishers to ensure a comprehensive and current offering that meets the diverse needs of libraries and their users.

The user experience

Through the NetLibrary platform, users may easily search, preview and check-out eAudiobooks from your library Web site. Titles are downloaded in Windows Media Audio (WMA) format and may be transferred to a wide range of portable devices. A loan period of up to 21 days is set by your library, after which the title (user license) automatically expires. The NetLibrary platform also includes support for remote user access plus accessibility features for the visually impaired.

Flexible acquisition options for libraries

NetLibrary eAudiobooks are available to all library types: academic (K-12, higher education), public, corporate, government and special, as well as consortia. We currently offer two programs for libraries to acquire eAudiobooks: purchase or subscription. Depending on the needs of your library, either or both options may be best.

Included OCLC services

eAudiobook delivery from NetLibrary includes the following additional services at no additional cost to the library:

  • OCLC® MARC cataloging records
  • Promotional support: customizable press releases and e-mail templates; in-library displays, such as posters and table tents; Web graphics; ad copy and more
  • User help: online help pages, printed user guides
  • Web-based training for library administrators
  • Ongoing technical support services for library staff

The NetLibrary platform

eAudiobooks are delivered to your library users through NetLibrary's fully-hosted platform. Seamless integration with existing digital content from NetLibrary provides your users with a secure, single point of access for all NetLibrary eContent. The NetLibrary platform includes a variety of administrative tools including:

  • Robust reporting tools to facilitate collection development decisions
  • Purchasing tools to add titles and satisfy user demand
  • Remote user authentication tools
  • User account tools to manage loan periods and the number of checkouts per user

eAudiobooks technical requirements

High-fidelity downloads for portable players

eAudiobooks can be downloaded as either CD-quality (32 kbps) or radio-quality (4 kbps) digital-audio files. CD-quality offers high-fidelity playback for users with high-speed Internet access and is recommended if the eAudiobook will be transferred to a portable device.

NetLibrary eAudiobooks can be listened to on a computer or portable listening device. A wide range of portable devices support playback of secure or protected WMA files—including portable music players and portable media centers from Archos, Creative Labs, Samsung, Toshiba and other manufacturers.

Features to look for

Must be able to play secure or protected WMA files with minimum bit rate of 32 kbps

Windows Media Audio (WMA) is an audio compression format similar to MP3, but with built-in digital rights management (DRM) for copyright protection. This DRM technology allows checked out items to expire at the end of the lending period.

Adequate memory

The average eAudiobook size is approximately 140 MB and the largest is approximately 850 MB.

Time display and forward/reverse functions

Time display must be in either hours-minutes-seconds HH:MM:SS) or minutes-seconds (MMMM:SS) for playing longtracks and returning to a designated place in the file. Many of the portable media devices on the market today are designed for playing short music files rather than long eAudiobook files. They may not deliver features that allow you to return easily to your place in the eAudiobook, or they may have problems handling longer files. Must feature on/off/resume or pause/resume functions, and bookmarking. Must be compatible with Windows Media Player 9 or higher.

Media player compatibility

Portable listening devices are continuously evaluated to ensure their compatibility with NetLibrary eAudiobooks. As part of our ongoing effort to stay current with the portable device market, please consult our list periodically for updates.

Additional notes

  • Titles cannot be burned to CDs
  • Titles are not compatible with iPod or Zune portable devices