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BCPL Audio Books page.
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Audio Books

Troubleshooting
Other Sources

Downloadable Audio Books available through BCPL

No fines
14 day loan period
Windows Media Audio (WMA) format - Windows Media Player v9 and above is required
Can be transferred to a handheld device.
Cannot be played on a Mac or iPod

Download Audio Books from OverDrive

Features of OverDrive audio books:

Over 2,000 titles
Limited copies of each title, but a waiting list is provided when no copies are available.
Titles from Brilliance Audio, Blackstone, Books in Motion, Penton and More!
Free OverDrive Media Console Required
Some titles may be burned to a CD
How to download Audio Books from OverDrive

Question:	Answer:
Software needed to play	Windows Media Player 9 or newer. You must also download the OverDrive Media console free from the OverDrive website.
How do I get them?	From any page on the BCPL website (www.bcpl.info) select Books and More, then choose "eBooks, Audiobooks".
Do I need a library card?	Yes.
Can I download a section at a time, or do I need to get the whole book?	You may download individual sections as separate files.
How do I transfer to a portable device?	From the OverDrive media console, select "Transfer/burn" and follow the instructions.
Can I find records for these items in the library catalog?	Yes! We are adding audio book titles to our catalog as quickly as possible. However, the OverDrive site will provide the most complete list of available titles.
How many can I check out at a time?	Any combination of four (4) titles total (any format).
What kinds of audio books are included?	There are a variety of vendors, including Brilliance, Listen & Live, and more. You can view the entire list from the link on the OverDrive page that says "View All Audio books."
Can I renew them?	No. The loan period is 14 days. You may check out the title again if no one is waiting. If no copies are available, you can place a hold for the when the title becomes accessible. You will receive an email notification when your hold is available.
What happens after the 21 day loan period expires?	The audio file stays on your device but can no longer be played. You will need to delete the file manually from your PC and device.
Can I burn to a CD?	Yes. From the OverDrive Media Console, choose the "copy to CD or device" and click on "burn to CD." These CDs can be played even after the loan period expires.
Can I return my audio book early?	No. The Windows Media Player software does not allow this function.
Other questions?	OverDrive provides an extensive Help section on their website, broken down by format, which answers questions about software, error messages, etc.

How to download books through OverDrive:

After clicking on the link above, you can search for books or browse the collection. Once you find the title you want, click Add to "My Bookbag". Titles added to your bookbag will remain for 30 minutes while you continue to browse the collection. When you are finished browsing, click on the "My Bookbag" link, and then choose "Proceed to Checkout".
At checkout, you will be asked to log in to your account. Here you must choose Baltimore County Public Library for your library system, and then enter your library card number. This will allow you to check out titles. Click on "Confirm Checkout" at the next screen, and the titles are ready to download. You may not download to BCPL public computers. You must have OverDrive Media Console installed to listen to these audio books. The checkout confirmation screen offers you the option of downloading the Media Console.
If you need more help, see the OverDrive Audio book help page.

Troubleshooting for Audio Books

The easily visible "Help" link will answer most questions. Be aware that OverDrive also offers eBooks so be sure you are looking at the audio book help page.

Unfortunately, neither BCPL nor the audio book vendors can troubleshoot individual listening devices. There are many devices to which the products can be downloaded, and the vendors are very clear that they do not troubleshoot at the device level. The best method for dealing with device problems is to refer to the manufacturer's website.

To find out which players will work, go to http://www.playsforsure.com. This site tells you which devices are Microsoft Windows Media Player compatible. There are also links here to each of the manufacturer websites which may be able to help with troubleshooting.

If you are experiencing problems with Windows Media Player:

Are you running a firewall? This can include the built in Windows XP firewall as well as third party applications, such as "Zone Alarm" or "Norton Internet Security". Firewall settings may be blocking Windows Media Player from the internet.
Check Windows Media Player's connection. To do so, go to Tools > Options. Under 'Player Settings' select the option that says "Connect to the Internet."
Are you running a web accelerator? If so, please disable it.

If you are able to download to the latest version of Windows Media Player on your computer, but get an error when you try to download to your portable device:

Your device may be running an older version of Windows Media Player Mobile. Microsoft does not directly provide Windows Media Player Mobile. Instead, each portable device manufacturer has the option of providing it through a "firmware" or "ROM" updates (downloads). Check the manufacturer's support site your the specific device.

Attention Mac and iPod users:

OverDrive audio book products DO NOT work on iPods. Why not? Because OverDrive uses the .wma format, for Windows Media Player. Apple uses the .aac format for iPods and other Macintosh products. All devices play the MP3 format, but they do not all have the copyright protection that the publishers and vendors require. There is not currently a library product that works with iPods. Audible.com sells audio books in conjunction with iTunes for iPods, but they do not sell to libraries for lending.

Other sources for audio books

BCPL New Books on Cassette and CD
Baltimore County Public Library Hot Titles List of New Books on Cassette and CD.

Apple iTunes Audio books
Audio books for the iPod from Apple.

Assistive Media: Expanding the World of Reading
An audio-literary service for persons with print reading/access barriers. To listen to the books you must have at least a 28.8K modem and an installed version of RealPlayer (available on the web site.) Assistive Media provides free-of-charge, copyright approved, high caliber audio literary works.

audible.com
Buy audio books for MP3 players, including the iPod. Subscribe monthly or pay per title.

Audio Online Book Club
Enjoy a daily dose of spoken word with audio books from fiction, non-fiction, self-help, business books and more, all delivered to your e-mail address.

StoryTymes
Children can use their computers speakers to listen to stories, including Aesop's Fables and fairytales.

This page is provided by the Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, Maryland USA.
The text version of this page was last revised on 26 August 2008.
The graphics version of this page was last revised on 26 August 2008.
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