VCL title

Downloadable Audiobooks (eAudiobooks)

You can download the latest best seller, book club favorite, award winning author as an audiobook and listen to it on your computer or your portable listening device (MP3 player). All you need to take advantage of this free service is a Ventura County Library (VCL) card in good standing.

General notes
  • We recommend MP3 players with bookmark capability. Many audiobooks are downloaded as a single track, and bookmarks help you find your place, just as in a book. Otherwise, if you navigate away from the audiobook without setting a bookmark, when you return to the audiobook, you will back to the beginning of the recording.
  • Downloading audiobooks requires Windows Media Player 9 or higher.
  • For best results, turn off pop-up blockers while downloading.
  • Because of bandwidth and other technical issues, audiobooks may not be downloaded on VCL computers.
To find our collection of downloadable audiobooks (eaudiobooks)...

Go to the eLibrary page by selecting either "Databases - Research" or "Homework - Research" from the vencolibrary.org home page.
Under "Search by Subject" select eAudiobooks

 
Click below to jump to the section you need
Connection
Access
Software
Compatibility
Download
Checkout
Burn to a CD?
Technical Help
Disclaimer
 
Connection
You need a high speed Internet connection, Windows Media Player 9 or higher and – for portable listening – an MP3 player.
Back to TOP
Access
NetLibrary
 
OverDrive

Click on "NetLibrary Downloadable Audiobooks" and enter your library card number to authenticate.
IMPORTANT! For your first use - you must enter through the Ventura County eLibrary portal as described here and create your account while in VCL's collection.

  Click on "OverDrive Downloadable Audiobooks." To access Ventura County Library's NetLibrary collection, you must enter through the Ventura County eLibrary portal.

You will know you are in our collection when you see - in green text under the NetLibrary logo - "Welcome to the Ventura County Public Library eContent Collection"

Once you have entered Ventura County Library's NetLibrary collection, it is recommended you:
  • Create a free account by clicking on the link in the upper right of Ventura County Library's NetLibrary page. (This must be done while in Ventura County Library's NetLibrary collection.)
  • Once you have set up your free account, you can then log in to www.netlibrary.com or click through our catalog links to have access to VCL's collection.
   

 

 
Back to TOP
Software
NetLibrary
 
OverDrive

You need to download the following free software:

  • Windows Media Player 9 or higher available at Microsoft.com.
  • NetLibrary recommends using Internet Explorer or Firefox or Netscape as browsers. Other browsers (such as AOL) can cause problems.
 

You need to download the following free software:

  • Windows Media Player available at Microsoft.com.
  • OverDrive Media Console version 1.0 (or later), available on the OverDrive site: click on “Quick Start Guide” (under “Getting Started”) and follow the steps to download the software.

 

 

Back to TOP

Compatibility
Apple Ipods and some other brands of media players do not currently support DRM (Digital Rights Management) software, making them unable to play the audiobooks. At present, your MP3 player must support the .wma format.
NetLibrary
 
OverDrive
Tested Players Compatible with NetLibrary
Supported Portable Audio Devices
    Note to Apple ipod users: our OverDrive collection does not yet include ipod compatible eAudiobooks.
 
Back to TOP
Download
NetLibrary
 
OverDrive
See the eAudiobooks Demo   See the Guided Tour for tips on downloading.
  • Perform a search.
  • From search results, click on "Download This Audiobook."
  • Select Checkout & CD Quality if you want to transfer your title to an MP3 player.
  • Select Checkout and Radio Quality if you want to listen on your computer.
  • A dialog box appears for your download. Select "Save." Save this in your My Music folder.
  • After downloading, open the eaudiobook in Windows Media Player to acquire the license.
 
  • Perform a search and select a book by clicking on the title.
  • Under “Format Information,” available titles will show an “add to cart” link while titles already checked out will show a “place a hold” link.
  • When you are finished selecting, click on the
    “Proceed to Checkout” link. For help, see “Check Out Assistance.”
  • You will need to enter your VCL card barcode and confirm your checkout to reach the download page.
  • Your download will activate the OverDrive player, which will give you options to download the eaudiobook in part or in total.
   
Back to TOP
Checkout
NetLibrary
 
OverDrive
  • The checkout period for audiobooks from NetLibrary.com on your VCL card is 21 days.
  • You can renew your audiobooks. Use the link at the top of the page to connect to NetLibrary.com and enter your username and password to access your account.
  • There are no fines attached to your audiobook downloads. DRM (Digital Rights Management) software built in to the recording expires 21 days from the date of download, causing the audiobook to be inaccessible.
  • You need to remove the books from your computer or player manually.
 
  • The checkout period for audiobooks from OverDrive on your VCLcard is 14 days.
  • You are able to login again to re-check it out (or be placed on the hold list if someone else has requested it.)
  • There are no fines attached to your audiobook downloads. DRM (Digital Rights Management) software built in to the recording expires 14 days from the date of download, causing the audiobook to be inaccessible.
  • The audiobook will remain in your OverDrive player in case you want to re-check it out. If not, you will need to remove it from your computer or player manually.
 
Check Out Assistance
   
Back to TOP
Burn to a CD?
NetLibrary
 
OverDrive
No. Burning an eAudiobook file to a CD for listening to on a CD player is not allowed. If you do burn an eAudiobook file, encryptions on the eAudiobook file will make the file unusable.  

There are two places you can check to see if a title may be burned to CD:

  • The OverDrive website - look under "Digital Rights Information" for the specific title
  • If you have already checked out the title, you can look in OverDrive Media Console. Highlight the desired title and click the "Properties" button. If a 'License' tab is not displayed, the title is not digitally protected and can be burned to CD.
   

Back to TOP

Technical Help
NetLibrary
 
OverDrive
Some technical help is available at NetLibrary.com. Once you login to your account, click on the Help link.   Technical help is available on OverDrive's site. When you are in the site, click on the Help Link.
NetLibrary Quick Start Guide
 
OverDrive Quick Start Guide
NetLibrary eAudiobook FAQs
 
OverDrive Digital Help - FAQ
VCL NetLibrary Audiobook FAQs
Check Out Assistance
 
Back to TOP
Disclaimer
There are a large number of players available today, and each functions differently. Because of this, Ventura County Library staff cannot provide any technical help with downloading audiobooks, managing your computer, or managing or using your portable listening device.
Back to TOP

greenline

Home
About Us | Contact Us | Libraries | Ask Us - FAQ | Databases - Research - Homework
Adult Literacy | En Espanol | Just for Kids | Volunteer Opportunities | What's Happening
| Site Map

© Ventura County Library 2008