Downloadable Audiobooks
** PLEASE NOTE: As of December 31, 2009, you will no longer be able to download movies. The service has been discontinued by our vendor. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.**
Good News! Both ListenNJ and Recorded Books/NetLibrary now allow you to download audiobooks to your iPod®, iPhone™, or iTouch™!
Monroe Library cardholders can now download audiobooks to their computers and transfer them to portable devices at any time of the day, from the comfort of their own homes! Note: Recorded Books/NetLibrary and ListenNJ |
Listen NJ Overdrive
Please select "Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium" as your library.
Go to Listen NJ
Top of Page About ListenNJ
Access couldn’t be easier! Use your personal computer and library card to check-out and download:
- popular fiction,
- biography,
- business and career,
- children’s literature and learning aids,
- current events and history,
- mystery,
- suspense and thrillers,
- religion and spirituality,
- romance, and
- self improvement
You may download to your personal computer and transfer the data to a compatible player. (Check here for a list of compatible devices)
Some digital audio books can also be burned to a CD-ROM disc to be played on a CD/MP3 player.
Check Out Details for your Audio Book:
- You do not need to come to The Library to either select or return a digital audio book. Everything is done from your remote computer.
- The loan period is 10 days. When the loan period is over the file expires and the material is automatically checked back in.
- You may put Items on reserve. When the requested title is available you will be sent an e-mail. You will have three days to download your reserved audio book, otherwise it will go to the next customer waiting for it.
- You can check-out up to five (5) digital audio books at one time.
Getting Started
To access digital books at ListenNJ you will need:
- A valid Monroe Township library card.
- Access to the Internet.
- Free software for the device or computer on which you wish to use the materials you download from ListenNJ.
Please note that you can download and enjoy digital books at home, at work, or when you travel, but you cannot download them to The Library's public computers.
Go to : ListenNJ
For an overview of the process click on New to Digital Books? Click Here!
- Click on one of the OverDrive Audiobook links under Software Downloads.
- Make sure that your computer or device meets the system requirements for the OverDrive Media Console.
- Download the OverDrive Media Console (instructions for downloading).
If using a PC, make sure that your computer has Windows Media Player 9 or newer (download).
Note* - The first time the Windows Media Player attempts to play a copyrighted file, it will alert you that Security Upgrade (instructions) must be performed. This is a one time process that identifies the copy of Windows Media Player with the computer on which the Player is being used.
Search for a Good Book
Go back to the Listen NJ homepage:
Search for a book under the Digital Book Search column:
- By author, title, or all.
- Browse the collection by availability in Always Available, Recently Added, Try These, and Classics.
- Browse the collection by genre in Fiction: All Fictions, Mystery and Thrillers, Romance, Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Children's Fiction.
- Browse the Non-Fiction collection by subject: All Nonfiction, Biography and Autobiography, Business, Self-Help, Learn a Language.
- Browse by format: MP3, WMA, and I-Pod compatible.
If you decide to Browse a category, you may sort all of the results by clicking on title, author, published date, most popular, or date added to the site at the top of the column as shown below:
When you find a title you're interested in, look at the icons shown next to Plays On, to see if it is compatible with your computer and portable listening device:
- Select your book by clicking on the 'add to cart' link for the title you want on the right side of the screen.
Your cart will then be displayed. - To select another book click on 'Continue Browsing', or
If you are finished, click on 'Proceed to Checkout'.
- Click 'OK' on the Security Alert dialog box.
- Select 'Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium' in the first drop down box.
Type in your complete library card number beginning with 29370.. - Enter your PIN #. If you do not have a PIN #, you will need to see someone at the circulation desk at the Library. PIN #s can not be given out over the phone.
- Hit <Enter> or click on 'Login'.
- The check Out screen asks you to Confirm Checkout and tells you how many other books you currently have checked out.
The book is now checked out to you and you may now download your selection.
How to Download a Book
- Click on the 'Download' link for your audio book after checking the title out.
- The OverDrive Media Console will open and prompt you for a download location for your audio files. Click ‘OK’ to save the files to the default location.
Security Upgrade- First Time Users
The Windows Media Player Security Upgrade
- First time OverDrive users will then by prompted for the security upgrade mentioned in the Note in Getting Started above. Click 'OK'.
- Cancel the download.
- Click on 'Tools' on the title bar of the OverDrive Media Console.
- Click 'OK'.
- Answer Yes to Allow Windows Media Player to download the security upgrade.
- Then click Play to learn whether the download was successful.
- Once you have backed up your license you are ready to download your audio book.
Go back to the ListenNJ screen with your selected title(s) and click on the 'Download' button again. - Select the parts you want to download and click ‘OK’. Depending on the file size and the number of parts to be downloaded, you may have to wait several minutes.
How to Play and Navigate a Book
- Highlight the title you’d like to hear in the OverDrive Media Console and click the ‘Play’ button.
- OverDrive Media Explorer opens and begins playing the book.
- Use the On-Screen Navigation of the Media Explorer to jump to specific sections. (Click on the part of the book you would like to hear under Parts.)
How to Burn a Book to a CD
- In OverDrive Media Console, highlight a book and click the ‘Burn’ button.
- The OverDrive Media Console Burn Wizard opens to guide you through the steps of burning the book to CD.
- Place a blank CDR in your CD-ROM drive and follow the prompts in the wizard to burn a CD.
Copyright Restrictions
Some titles cannot be burned to a CD because of copyright restrictions. Look at the icons underneath the title description:
For more information, click on the book cover. Then scroll down to the bottom of the book description. All the Digital Rights Information for that title will be displayed.
How to Transfer a Book to a Portable Device
Check here to locate compatible devices.
- In OverDrive Media Console, highlight a book and click the ‘Transfer’ button.
- The OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard open and will prompt you to connect your device. The wizard will guide you through transferring your audiobook to your portable listening device.
Troubleshooting
Need Help? Here are some troubleshooting tips for WMA format titles and troubleshooting tips for MP3 format titles from ListenNJ.
Questions? Please contact Karen Klapperstuck at
(732) 521-5000 or kklapperstuck@monroetwplibrary.org
Recorded Books from NetLibrary
What are NetLibrary Audiobooks?
NetLibrary's Audiobooks are digital versions of audiobooks that are available through the Internet.
System Requirements
Audiobooks can be played on any desktop or portable device running Windows Media player (version 9 -11). You can use a wide variety of portable listening devices. For a list of supported portable listening devices, click here.
Creating an Account
You can search and browse for audiobooks and listen to previews in your library. However, to download and listen to audiobooks, you must first create a free NetLibrary account.
Go to www.netlibrary.com and use the 'Create a Free Account' link on the top right part of the page.
Enter your identifying information (user name, password, email address).
Select the 'Submit' button.
Logging in
Once you have created an account, you can login to your library's collection from any computer with Internet access.
Go to www.netlibrary.com and enter your user name and password in the login box.
Click the red 'log in' button.
You now have access to all audiobooks available in your library's collection.
Using the NetLibrary Media Center
Media Center is a free, downloadable application that makes it even easier to search, download and listen to digital audiobooks. You can also use the Media Center to access the Library's collection directly from your computer desktop.
For more details, go to the NetLibrary Media Center information page.
*Note: At this time, the Media Center is only available for computers running Windows.
Searching for an Audiobook
Browse and Search for Titles
You can start your search for an audiobook any of the following places:
Basic Search lets you quickly perform a search by entering terms and selecting a single search field. You may choose to search for your terms in the Keyword, Title, or Author fields. Basic search is prominently featured on the home page and is also available on the right side of every page with the exception of the advanced search page.
Enter search term in the Basic Search field.
Select keyword, title, or author.
Click 'Search'.
Advanced Search lets you construct more complicated searches using multiple fields and boolean operators.
- Click on the 'Advanced Search' tab located in the top navigation.
- Use to the drop down menu to select search parameter (Title, Author, Subject, ISBN).
- Enter search term or multiple search terms using Boolean operators.
- Click search.
Tip: you can refine search results by using the optional audiobooks limiter.
The eAudiobook and eBook Center, available by clicking on the links on your NetLibrary home page, allow you to limit searches to audiobook content and browse featured titles.
The Media Center is a free, downloadable application that makes listening to eAudiobooks easy and simple. The Media Center will transfer your eAudiobooks to your PC or to your portable player with just one-click. You can also use the Media Center as a standalone way to access your library's entire eAudiobook collection.Checking out an Audiobook
The default checkout period for a NetLibrary Audiobook is three weeks. You may check out a maximum of ten (10) audiobook titles at one time. Please do not download audiobooks to public computers in your library.
From search results, click on the 'Download this Audiobook' link.
Next you will have 2 options for how to proceed.
You can Use the One-Click Download with the NetLibrary Media Center. This will require a separate download of the Media Center program. For more information about the Media Center, click here.
You can manually select your download option: CD quality, or radio quality. Radio quality provides faster download speed and is ideal for users with dial-up connections; CD quality offers high-fidelity playback for patrons with high-speed Internet access.
If you choose to manually download, it will prompt you to Open or Save the audiobook file. If you select 'Open', NetLibrary will launch your media player and begin streaming the audio as the file is downloaded. Once the download is complete, the file will be saved to your media player's download directory. If you choose the 'Save' option, you can download the file to a directory of your choosing. Once the download is complete, you can open the audiobook directly from your media player.
Renewing an Audiobook
Once an audiobook has been downloaded, it can be renewed at any time.
Go to www.netlibrary.com and enter your user name and password in the login box.
Click on the 'My Checked out Items' link.
Click on 'Renew this Audiobook'
If you are attempting to access an audiobook with an expired license from your media player, NetLibrary will launch a pop-up browser that will prompt you to login to renew your checkout.
1. Enter your user name and password.
2. Click the 'login' button.
3. Your license will automatically be renewed.
4. Click 'play' to listen to the audiobook.
Transferring an Audiobook to a Portable Device
In most cases, you can use your media player to transfer a downloaded audiobook to supported portable devices.
eAudiobooks can be transferred to a wide range of portable listening devices for offline use. If you want to transfer your eAudiobook to a portable device you MUST open the eAudiobook file and obtain a license before transferring the file. Use Windows Media Player to copy the eAudiobook file to a device. Follow the appropriate transfer process depending on the version of Windows Media Player that you have installed. Details for different versions of Windows Media Player can be found here.
NetLibrary automatically transfers a license to your portable device that will allow you to access the audiobook for up to three weeks from the date of original checkout. Please refer to your media player's help section for additional information.
Using NetLibrary Media Center
Using the Media Center is easy! Once you have downloaded the program, you will be able to access the Recorded Books/NetLibrary collection right from your computer desktop. Open the Media Center and log in.
From here you will be able to access your NetLibrary account, renew audiobook titles you have checked out, listen to your audiobooks and find new titles to download!
Finding help
Detailed information on using NetLibrary is available by clicking on the Help tab in the top navigation bar or by clicking here. Context-sensitive help is also available by clicking on the tips links located on NetLibrary search, details and download pages.
Questions? Please contact Karen Klapperstuck at
(732) 521-5000 or kklapperstuck@monroetwplibrary.org
Compatible Devices
Recorded Books can be downloaded to iPods®. MP3 Overdrive books from ListenNJ can be downloaded to iPods®. Dial-up connections may be too slow for downloading audiobooks.
What players should I consider?
Some downloadable audiobooks are in the WMA format (Windows Media Audio), and therefore cannot be played on Apple brand portable MP3 players (iPods). Both Recorded Books and ListenNJ have titles that are available in MP3 format and can be played on iPods. Not all MP3 players work properly with these files due to the DRM (Digital Rights Management) protecting these files.
When considering MP3 players, be sure to utilize Microsoft's "playsforsure" classification system. We have tested several MP3 players and have compiled a list of suggested players that we have had success in using with downloadable audiobooks. Please consult the table below for those players.
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When shopping for an MP3 player, check for the "playsforsure" icon shown to the left. This image guarantees that the player supports the playback of WMA files; but not necessarily DRM protected WMA files (file type of the audiobooks). |
The images shown on the right should be displayed on the packaging of any MP3 player you are considering. These tell you information about the capabilities of the player. If the image has "Download" checked, it will allow you to play WMA files, but not necessarily DRM protected files. To play these DRM protected WMA files, make sure there is a check next to both "Download" and "Subscription" in this playsforsure image. |
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As an added note, we strongly suggest you look closely at the system requirements on the packaging of each portable MP3 player, as some may only support Windows XP. Ensure your system has enough memory (RAM) and other specifications to meet the requirements.
Recommended players:
| Portable Player |
DRM WMA Files |
Bookmarking | Working Timer |
Pause /Resume Function |
Color Display |
Batteries vs. Rechargeable | Price Range | Supported Operating Systems |
| Samsung YP-T7J | x | x | x | x | rechargeable | $129.99 | Win XP | |
| Creative Zen Micro |
x | x | up to 3 hrs | x | rechargeable | $199.99 | Win 2k, XP |
Players that did not work or had problems in testing:
Rio Eigen 1.5GB Digital Audio Player - Software would not transfer DRM protected WMA files.
Dell DJ Ditty 512 MB Player - Played downloadable audiobooks with no method of monitoring time (timer remained at 0:00 throughout the book).
Sandisk Sansa M230/240/250 Player - Could not handle large audiobook files, does not keep track of correct location when pausing/resuming, and has no method of fast forward or rewind.
IRiver IFP-895T Player - Did not support playback of DRM protected WMA files.
Creative Zen Nano - Played audiobooks but timer stayed at 0 seconds throughout entire book. Fast forward and rewind function properly but without a timer and bookmarking these functions are difficult to use.
Accessories:
Most MP3 players come with headphones for listening on-the-go. If you would like to enjoy your audiobooks in the car, you will need either a wired cassette adapter (available at RadioShack) or an FM transmitter. An FM transmitter broadcasts the sound from your MP3 player to your car stereo through an FM station. We tested the following two FM transmitters; neither were perfect, but both performed well.
Belkin TuneCast Mobile FM Transmitter - Pros: This transmitter is simple to setup and use, has the option of broadcasting on 88.1-88.7 FM, and uses batteries (less wires). Cons: There was some faint static depending on the placement of the device in the car, and battery life is a concern.
Newer Technology FM Transmitter with mini-jack - Pros: This transmitter needs no setup, is permanently set to broadcast on 107.7 FM (a channel which is not used), has very commendable sound quality, and needs no batteries (it draws its power from the cigarette lighter/port in the car). Cons: Mini-jack connector required some turning once inserted into the headphone jack to find a "sweet spot" for listening.
Video Tutorials
Video Tutorials are available for the different downloadable media, including ListenNJ, Recorded Books/NetLibrary and MyLibraryDV (movies). Click below to watch the short videos. They will open a new window and you will view them via YouTube.