Downloadable Digital Books
McHenry Public Library District
patrons can download eBooks and eAudiobooks to home computers and handheld devices. These
digital items are essentially "checked out" for a period of three
weeks; after that they are automatically returned to their libraries
and become unusable on your computers and devices.
The library offers access to two digital collections.
One is
run by a program called OverDrive and is available through the North Suburban Digital Consortium; the other is
Recorded Books, distributed by NetLibrary. A valid McHenry Public Library
District card is required to use both of these services.
 
Recorded Books (distributed by NetLibrary) offers an
expanding selection of more than 10,000 eAudiobook titles spanning
numerous subject category in both unabridged and abridged formats for
you to download. The latest best-sellers, book club favorites, timeless
classics and award- winning literature may now be downloaded over the
internet in an easily accessible format. You can
use this service from home or work, but not from within the library. You'll need a valid
McHenry Public Library card
number to use the service.
Click here
to get started.
As
a member of the
North Suburban Digital Consortium,
any MPLD cardholder may download digital
items for a loan period of three weeks. Only one
patron can check out a title at a time. If a title is in use, you
may place a hold and will be notified by email when the title
becomes available. These materials include popular fiction,
nonfiction, and children's OverDrive.com titles (representing a
variety of publishers). The eAudiobooks can be burned to CDs or
downloaded to computer, iPods or MP3 players. Visit the
North Suburban Digital Consortium
site to access this collection and download the free, required
software.
OverDrive for Mac
Nearly all OverDrive WMA
Audiobooks in our download collection are compatible with the
iPod®, iPhoneT, iPod touch®, and iPod nano®, as well as Zune® and
lots of other portable devices.
With OverDrive Media Console for Mac, OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks can be downloaded and enjoyed on Macs. The built-in Burn Wizard can be used to burn MP3 Audiobooks to CD, and the Transfer Wizard allows quick and easy transfer to Apple® devices.
Specifications and Procedures
McHenry Public Library has developed several resource pages to
help you compare eBook and eAudiobook service options, select
appropriate viewers or media players, and successfully download
files.
Downloading eAudiobooks
North
Suburban Digital Consortium
Audiobooks
downloaded from this consortium may be checked out to only one
library patron at a time and are reservable. For a complete list of
titles, go to the
North Suburban Digital Consortium
site and click on the link for Audio Books near the
center of the opening page.
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North Suburban Digital Consortium |
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Who
can use this service? |
Any McHenry
Public Library District cardholder |
|
What operating system do I need on my computer? |
Microsoft
Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) and above including:
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (ME)
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows XP Windows
Microsoft Windows Vista |
|
What additional software do I need on my computer? |
Media
Player 9.0 or higher (available for download from the
Consortium site)
OverDrive Media Console (available for download from the
Consortium site) |
|
Where can I listen to these audiobooks besides my computer? |
North
Suburban Digital Consortium audio books can be listened to on a
wide range of portable devices, including :
iPods, iPhones
Portable music players (MP3 players)
Pocket PCs
Select Smartphone devices
The only requirement is that the device must be able to support
playback of secure or protected WMA (Windows Media Audio) files. |
|
Which MP3 players may be used? |
It is recommended that the MP3 player used have
full bookmarking capabilities. See the
MP3 Player Guide page
for more information. You can now download most items to
iPods, iPhones and other popular devices.
The player should have a minimum storage capacity of 256MB
|
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What other things should I look for before purchasing an MP3
player? |
To have an
optimal experience when listening to a North Suburban Digital
Consortium audio book, it is recommended that you select devices
that support features such as bookmarking and full
time-stamping.
Devices that support bookmarking allow you to designate a place
within a file and return to that place.
Devices that support full time-stamping do not limit the time
tracking of a file in any way and will allow the full length of
an eAudiobook file to display.
As an added note, we strongly suggest you look closely at the
system requirements on the packaging of each portable MP3
player, as some may only support Windows XP. Ensure your system
has enough memory (RAM) and other specifications to meet the
requirements. |
|
Are
there different audio qualities to select from when I download
an audiobook? |
All North
Suburban Digital Consortium audio books are CD quality. |
|
Can
I burn these audiobooks to CD? |
Yes, unless
otherwise designated. When burning a title use the approved
burning steps in Windows Media Player (see
www.overdrive.com/MediaConsole/
QuickStartGuide.asp).
The titles are automatically burned in Audio format. If you
attempt to burn MP3, WMA, or data CDs via another application
such as Nero Burning ROM, the CD will not be readable in any
portable or car CD Player. Each track will require one CD. |
|
Can
I return the audiobook before the end of the 21 day checkout
period? |
No, the
audio book cannot be returned early. It will become unusable at
the end of the checkout period. Note: The actual file will
remain on your computer until you delete it. |
|
Can
I renew the audiobook? |
No, but if
no one has placed a reserve on it, you may download it again. |
|
How long will it take to download a book onto my
computer? The following are typical download times
depending on size of the audio-book and method of downloading.
We would recommend creating a folder on your computer called
"My Audiobooks" as a place to save the downloaded book. Once
saved, you must open the file (using Windows Media Player 9.0 or
higher); opening the file authenticates the license to use it.
You may then listen to it, close the file, or transfer (sync) it
to a portable device such as a Pocket PC or MP3 player. After
it has expired you will easily be able to locate the file in
your "My Audiobooks" folder and delete it from your computer.
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Duration of audiobook |
Quality |
File size |
Download times in
hours:minutes:seconds |
|
Dial-up modem
(56 Kbps) |
DSL
(256 Kbps) |
Cable modem
(1.5 Mbps) |
|
15 hours |
CD quality |
217.8 MB |
08:51:01 |
01:56:09 |
00:19:21 |
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10 hours |
CD quality |
145.2 MB |
05:54:00 |
01:17:26 |
00:12:54 |
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8 hours |
CD quality |
116.16 MB |
04:43:12 |
01:01:57 |
00:10:19 |
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5 hours |
CD quality |
72.6 MB |
02:57:00 |
00:38:43 |
00:06:27 |
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