Digital Audiobook Services through Libraries

by Thomas A. Peters

Library Technology Reports 43:1 (Jan/Feb 2007)

A "report focus[ing] on digital audiobook systems for libraries, library consortia, and other institutional customers."

Jenny Levine refers to this report as a great primer to learn about downloadable, or digital, audiobooks. View a glance of the report here: https://publications.techsource.ala.org/products/archive.pl?article=2591

And you don't have to buy the report to see the whole thing! Go to TexShare and look in Academic Search Premier for the full-text version of this. You can search by publication (what I did), then by year, and voila!

Are you interested in offering downloadable audiobooks to your patrons?

From November 2006 CTLS Newsletter

CTLS and its Friends are in the first stages of creating a downloadable audiobooks consortium for our member libraries. But you might be asking:

What is a downloadable audiobook?

A downloadable audiobook, also called an eaudiobook, is an audiobook in digital format whose files you save onto your home computer (or a designated library computer) via the Internet. You can then play the audiobook:

• through your computer using software like Windows Media Player

• by burning the files onto a CD to then use in a CD player, or

• by transferring the files to your digital audio device, like a securewma-compatible mp3 player

Why do your patrons want downloadable audiobooks?

Downloadable audiobooks provide patrons with convenience and flexibility, supporting the concept of a 24/7 electronic branch. Along with access to your catalog, TexShare databases, and TexShare e-books, e-audiobooks give patrons a reason to use and explore your virtual collection at a time and place that fits their schedule. Eaudiobooks can boost circulation even when the physical library is closed. As titles are added each month, your Web site’s content will be continually refreshed, which will enrich your patrons’ experience when interacting with the library.

Who are the major vendors for downloadable audiobooks?

There are two main competitors in the library market right now for downloadable audiobooks: NetLibrary and Over Drive. (To clarify here, Texas State Library’s TexShare program provides access to NetLibrary’s electronic books, its electronic audiobook collection, nor does TSL intend to add this service to TexShare.)

NetLibrary’s pricing structure is scaleable based on circulation or population served, and it provides a core collection of 1200 titles with unlimited downloads for each title. Over Drive is geared towards a larger library system like Austin Public Library or a small consortium of libraries, as its prices discourage the small to mid-sized library. It has a broader selection of publishers, but multiple patrons cannot download the same title at the same time, unless multiple copies of the title have been purchased. Although there is some overlap in content, NetLibrary and Over Drive offer unique titles for the most part.

Will this work with an Ipod?

Unfortunately, neither NetLibrary nor Over Drive support Ipod-compatible downloadable audiobooks at present. Mostly, this has to do with digital copyright issues that will not be resolved for libraries in the near future. While Apple’s Ipod is the most popular digital audio device in the U.S., Windows-compatible devices are still a presence in the market – and are generally less expensive than Ipods. Also, we’re beginning to see cellular phones that act as a digital audio device as well as a camera, and a personal digital assistant (pda). So it could be that we’ll begin to see the market diversify, and compatibility will become a nonissue.

Come to the regional meetings if you’d like to discuss the downloadable audiobooks consortium further. We want your input, because you understand best what materials and features your patrons want.