|
What follows is an overview of the materials available at this web site and a three-step introduction to using the service. Click the topic heading to hear more information. Each topic is followed by a back to top link that leads back to the list of topics.
Overview
You can check out and download the following types of digital materials at this website…
- OverDrive WMA Audiobooks
- OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks
- OverDrive Music
- OverDrive Video
To access these digital materials you need…
- A valid library card
- Internet access
- A computer or device that meets the system requirements for the type(s) of digital materials you wish to check out
- Free software for the computer or device on which you wish to use the materials available at this site
A guided tour of this service is available…
Back to top
Step 1 - Download and install free software
As a first step, you need to download and install the free software that allows you to enjoy the type(s) of materials you are interested in.
To check out OverDrive titles, you need OverDrive Media Console™. OverDrive Media Console is available for Microsoft® Windows® 98 SE (or newer), Windows Mobile® 5 and 6, Macintosh® OS 10.4.9 (or newer), and Android™ v1.5 (or newer).
To download and install OverDrive Media Console, click here.
Back to top
Step 2 - Activate the software
After you have installed the software that you downloaded, you need to take steps to activate the software before downloading digital materials.
OverDrive Media Console for Windows requires a security upgrade.
OverDrive Media Console for Windows utilizes Windows Media® Player 9 Series (or newer) to play DRM-protected files. The first time that Windows Media Player attempts to open a DRM-protected file, it will alert you that a security upgrade must be performed before the file can be opened. The upgrade takes just a few moments.
OverDrive Media Console for Mac, OverDrive Media Console for Windows Mobile, and OverDrive Media Console for Android do not require security upgrades.
Back to top
Step 3 - Check out, download, and enjoy
Browse or search this site for downloadable materials. When you locate a title of interest, add it to the My Cart and check out the title. Once you have checked out a title, a download page is displayed. Click the 'Download' link to start the download. Once the download is complete, open and enjoy the title. You will never accrue late fees with titles you download from this website. At the end of the loan period, titles will expire and be automatically 'returned' to the library. At this time, you can delete the expired file(s) from your computer.
Back to top
Step 4 - Buying a portable audio player for the first time?
Click here to review a suggested list of portable devices.
Additionally, please note that in order to use OverDrive WMA Audiobook on a device, the device must either support the bit rate of 32kbps or be able to transcode 32kbps files to a supported bit rate. In order to use OverDrive Music on a device, the device must either support the bit rate of 64kbps or be able to transcode 64kbps files to a supported bit rate.
You may want to check device documentation to determine if a device supports DRM-protected Windows Media content at 32kbps and/or 64kbps.
Note: If you are using a Pocket PC, OverDrive Media files must be transferred to a memory card. Be sure you have a memory card with sufficient memory space installed, and be sure to specify the memory card in the course of the transfer process.
Audiobooks, like print books, come in a variety of lengths, and this makes it difficult to estimate how many books you will be able to fit on your device. Please note the following:
- One Part = One CD
- One CD = 80 minutes (or less) of audio content
- 80 minutes (or less) of audiobook content = not more than 20MB of disk storage space
Using these numbers you can assume that you'll be able to store the following number of audiobook Parts on your portable device. (Please note that these numbers do not take into account actual vs. theoretical disk space as well as storage space used by the firmware of your device.)
- 128MB = 6 Parts
- 256MB = 12 Parts
- 512MB = 25 Parts
- 1GB = 50 Parts
- 2GB = 100 Parts
- 5GB = 250 Parts
- 10GB = 500 Parts
- 20GB = 1000 Parts
Back to top
Explore your options…
Back to top
| 
