Posts filed under 'Audio Books'
In the last week we’ve answered our first two reference questions via Twitter. While it might not be the fastest or most private way to contact us with a question, we’re happy to answer the questions we see via Twitter or Facebook or our other social media accounts.
Which brings us to the answer to one of those two reference questions, which is more complex than Twitter’s 140 characters allow… One of our followers, in response to a post announcing our excitement that we now offer e-book and iPod compatible audiobook downloads through the OverDrive Digital Download Center, requested that a sidebar search category be created for Mac users to find compatible downloads.
Madison Public Library is part of a statewide consortium that runs the OverDrive Digital Download Center, a collection of nearly 5,000 downloadable audiobooks, video, music and now e-books. We can’t update the sidebar options to say “Plays on Mac” but if you look at the sidebar, you can choose either “iPod-compatible Audiobooks” or “View all MP3 Audiobooks” to find titles you can use. iPod-compatible audiobooks can be transferred to an iPod or iPhone through iTunes on either a Mac or a PC. MP3 audiobooks can be played on a Mac OR transferred to iPod or iPhone. Also, if you do a title or author search, there are icons for each title showing what formats the title come in. Screenshots of menus and download steps for getting OverDrive Media Console are on our Flickr photostream.
Background info: Audiobooks comprise the largest part of the Digital Download Center collection. Most are - for various digital rights management reasons - available only as WMA (windows media audio) files for playing on a PC or WMA-compatible devices. Recently, one fourth of the WMA titles became iPod compatible when users access the files using the most recent version of the OverDrive Media Console (software required to use OverDrive). As of today, there are 4065 WMA audiobooks, 218 MP3 audiobooks, 1000 iPod compatible WMA audiobooks, 318 videos, 178 music albums, and 232 eBooks in the collection.
November 17th, 2009
Tana
Get ready for digital downloads! On Thursday, July 2, the Madison Public Library will be hosting the Digital Bookmobile, an immersive download experience inside a 74-foot, high-tech trailer,
at the Lakeview Branch Library. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., readers of all ages are invited to engage in digital downloading through interactive demonstrations and to experience Madison Public Library’s audiobook and video download service at this free event. We’ll also be serving free beverages, having a special preschool storytime at 1:30 p.m., and participants will have the chance to win one of two Creative MuVo MP3 players!
The Digital Bookmobile is housed inside an 18-wheel tractor trailer. This 74-foot community outreach vehicle is a high-tech update of the traditional bookmobile that has served communities for decades. The vehicle is equipped with broadband Internet-connected PCs, high definition monitors, premium sound systems, and a variety of portable media players, all of which help visitors explore the library’s download service and sample audiobooks, music, and video.
Take advantage of the download service 24/7 from the library’s website. From there, you can browse the growing collection of bestselling, new release, and classic titles, and check out a digital title with a valid library card. Once downladed, digital titles can be enjoyed on a computer or transferred to iPods, MP3 players and other mobile devices. Many audio titles can also be burned to audio CD.
Check out photos from the Digital Bookmobile’s stops across the country on Flickr. The Digital Bookmobile is operated by OverDrive, Inc., a subscription database of audiobooks and videos. Love audiobooks? Sign up for our Audiobook e-newsletter and get updates on all the newest and hottest titles available from Madison Public Library!
June 25th, 2009
Alicia
The Monroe Street Branch Library introduces a new collection of Playaway audiobooks during National Library Week, April 12 - 18.
Half the size of a deck of cards, Playaway is the simplest way to listen to a book on the go and – with no tapes or CDs - can hold up to eighty hours of content on each unit. Using clearly marked buttons, Playaway gives listeners the ability to move back and forth within or between chapters and alter the speed of a narrator’s voice. It even has an automatic bookmark feature that remembers where you left off. Additionally, Playaway has a universal headphone jack that works with almost any type of headphone or mobility accessory.
“Playaway’s simple functionality and immediate usability separate it from other audio book formats,” said Mary Burton, Supervising Librarian, Monroe Street Branch Library. “With Playaway, our patrons can enjoy best-selling content with first-rate digital audio.”
This new collection was made possible through a Madison Community Foundation Library Collections Grant. The Madison Community Foundation has supported Dane County’s public library system with over $5 million in donations for collections, programs and capital campaigns since 2000, including a total of 27 collection grants awarded to Madison and Dane County Libraries.
Madison Community Foundation encourages, facilitates and manages long-term philanthropy. Since 1942, the foundation staff has helped people realize their philanthropic goals, allowing them to support charitable interests anywhere in the world. The community foundation also awards grants throughout Dane County to build communities.
More information about all grants to Madison Public Libraries is on the Madison Public Library web site, or see all titles in the new collection.
April 13th, 2009
Tana
Good news for readers “on the go”! Thanks to a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation, the Monroe Street Branch will be expanding its collection of audio books. New audio books will be available on Playaway pre-loaded MP3 players, including fiction, non-fiction, and foreign language materials.
See all new materials at Monroe Street purchased with the grant. Visit the Dane County Collections website for more information about all Madison Community Foundation grants awarded to libraries in Dane County.
March 31st, 2009
Tana
The Madison Community Foundation granted $192,500 to Madison Public Library to build focused collections at seven Madison library locations. The collections will be created over the next three years.
The libraries and collections are: Central Library (Small Business & Entrepreneurship); Hawthorne Branch (Pop Culture); Meadowridge Branch (Strong Families); Monroe Street Branch (Audio Books); Pinney Branch (Sustainable Living); Sequoya Branch (Art of the Picture Book); and South Madison Branch (Success U: Education, Employment & Housing). The Madison Community Foundation previously awarded grants for $27,500 each to the Alicia Ashman Branch (Comics & Anime) and the Lakeview Branch (Film & Film History).
“This is a generous and significant contribution to our libraries and we are grateful to the Madison Community Foundation for their ongoing support of Dane County libraries. The grants will allow us to offer in-depth specialty collections on topics of interest to Madison residents, and will provide much-needed funds to help combat shrinking book budgets and rising prices,” says Carla DiIorio, Collection Development Coordinator for all Madison libraries.
Research demonstrates that people value public libraries and see them as essential community cornerstones. Library usage continues to increase, and libraries were seen as an “essential” city service in a recent City of Madison Resident Satisfaction Survey. When asked how to enhance libraries, users and non-users alike want more current materials. Madison Public Library was one of 256 libraries to receive a top-star rating last week in a nationwide comparison of public libraries.
The grants come with a challenge to use the gifts to help build more community support, to develop partnerships, and to raise additional funds for the collections. As the collections grow, the library and community partners will hold events and offer outreach opportunities around each distinctive collection. Madison residents will be able to subscribe to updates about the collection(s) of their choice.
The Madison Community Foundation has supported Dane County’s public library system with over $5 million in donations for collections, programs and capital campaigns since 2000, including a total of 27 collection grants awarded to Madison and Dane County Libraries.
“It’s simple - great libraries make great communities. We continue to support this wonderful asset and are thrilled to see the collections grow and be shared so widely across the county,” says Kathleen Woit, President of the Madison Community Foundation.
Madison Community Foundation encourages, facilitates and manages long-term philanthropy. Since 1942, the foundation staff has helped people realize their philanthropic goals, allowing them to support charitable interests anywhere in the world. The community foundation also awards grants throughout Dane County to build communities. More information is available online at www.madisoncommunityfoundation.org
March 13th, 2009
Tana