eBooks and Audio Books are here!
(based on an article by Steve Sobel - 3/2006
The October's 2005 Friends' newsletter contained an article explaining how to use your home computer to access general library information, the library catalog and extensive on-line reference and research databases. That article (and all of the newsletters) can be found on-line on the Friends' website at http://www.princevillelibrary.com
Click the "Newsletters" link on the left side.
This time the focus is on a NEW service. The Hawaii State Public Library System (HSPLS) is now offering eBooks and Digital Audio Books for download over the internet to your home computer.
eBooks (electronic books) are digital versions of a book that you download and read on your personal computer. Digital Audio Books are audio files you download and listen to on your computer's speakers. eBooks work on both PCs and Macs.
Once downloaded, both types can also be transferred to selected portable devices. eBooks can be viewed on PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and Smartphones. Digital Audio Books can be listened to on CD players (by burning the sound files to recordable CDs on your computer) and on portable music players supporting Windows Media format. At present that means just about any portable player, including Apple iPods!
All you need to access this service is an internet-connected home computer and a library card. Here's how...
- Open your web browser and go to http://www.librarieshawaii.org. This is the Home Page for the State Library System. Notice the links along the top and left side of the page.
- Click on the "Catalogs" button
- Select the drop-down choice entitled 'E-books/Audio/Music'.
- For an essential overview of how the services work, be sure to look at the two links, "Information on how to download eBooks" and "Information on how to download Digital Audio Books."
- Next, click on the red link http://hawaii.lib.overdrive.com. This takes you to the HSPLS Library's Digital Book Home Page.
Specific software must be available on your computer to be able to access the files. For eBooks you need Adobe Reader (which is probably already on your machine). Audio Books require Windows Media Player and OverDrive's Media Console. Other software includes Mobipocket's Reader Desktop software, and The "Getting Started" link on the upper right corner of the Digital Book Home Page has instructions for installing anything you need. All the programs are free.
When you download an item to your computer it's like checking the item out at the library - except you don't have to worry about late fees! At the end of the 21 day loan period your book will be "returned" automatically and will no longer be readable on your computer You should then delete the file to free up the space on your hard drive.
A maximum of 5 titles can be checked out at one time. Items that are not currently available for download can be reserved, and you will be notified by email when they are available for download.
The currently available collection of Audio Books and eBooks contains over 10,000 titles (3,981 WMA audio book, 192 MP3 audio books, 331 music and 6,947 eBooks in Adobe and Mobipocket format). Listings can be viewed by subject, so it's easy to find all the available titles on a particular topic, as well as titles geared to a specific audience.
