Now if you were to Google "Audio eBooks", like I did, you will get a lot of hits! Not only would you have to figure out if there are subscription prices, but also whether or not the sites eBooks are compatible with your computer or MP3 player, and finally you would need to worry about copyright. So for today's lesson there are two options, you can explore the Santa Cruz Public Library or the Gutenberg Audio Books Project.
Option 1: Santa Cruz Public Library
If you have a library card for the SCPL you can access both Netlibrary and Califa from Downloadable Audio and eBooks.
Please note: At present, Apple computers and iPod players do not play these downloadable titles--Click to view a list of supported players. Digital books are also not available for download to Library computers in the public areas.
Downloadable Audio Book Collections:
NetLibrary Downloadable Audio Books
The Recorded Books/NetLibrary collection contains over 1000 downloadable audio books for portable devices and computers supporting the WMA format. The collection includes bestsellers, classics, and the Pimsleur Language Learning Series. You will need to establish a Netlibrary account for yourself. For more information on how to use: Using Recorded Books/NetLibrary Downloadable Audio Books
Califa Digital Book Download Center
The Califa/Overdrive Download Center features hundreds of audio books including frequently-requested travel guides and Nolo Press titles that you can download for use on your WMA-compliant personal computer, PDA, or portable MP3 player. For more information on how to use: Using Califa/OverDrive Downloadable Audio Books
Option 2: Project Gutenberg
If you do not have a library card for the SCPL, you can check out Gutenberg: The Audio Books Project. Project Gutenberg makes audio eBooks available for some of the same great literature available in plain text. Their listings are divided into two categories: Human-read and computer-generated audio books. These files can be very large, so are not well suited for people using a modem or other low-speed connection. Project Gutenberg does not have a statement about whether or not their files work with Apples or iPods so if you try to download one of these files it may or may not work depending on your equipment.
Discovery Exercise:
Create a blog post about your findings. Did you locate a title that you might want to check out and download? Were you frustrated that you couldn't use your iPod or Apple computer? What would you use Audio eBooks for, how could the library utilize Audio eBooks?
Advanced, optional exercise:
If you found an Audio eBook on one of these sites go ahead and download it to your computer where you will be able to listen to it if you have sound. Each of these sites may have different ways of downloading material, for example NetLibrary requires you to create an account and for Califa you need to download the associated software. Blog about your experience.
