Apr 27, 2006 07:12 AM
57378 Views
(Updated Apr 28, 2006 06:24 AM)
“Heard any Good Books Lately?”
Hi, my name is Kathy and I’m a book-a-holic. I love to read and I love everything about books; the covers, the stories, the information, even the smell of the ink and paper when I crack open a new book. But, as any book lover knows, good books are published faster than you can read them.
To increase my “reading” time I started listening to audio books in my car; however, that became an expensive habit since a new release book on CD can cost$40.00 or more. Always looking for ways to save money, I started “borrowing” audio books on CD from the Louisville Free Public Library(LFPL), here in Kentucky. This seemed like a great option for a book junkie like me; however, used books on CD have one big problem, they skip. A scratch, oil from your hands, any minor infraction and a book on CD can become useless. Nothing can make you crazy faster than getting half way through a good story and the disc skips- or worse, will not play at all- the frustration can take “road-rage” to a completely new level!
But, rest assured, that is all over now that I have found a new way to listen to recorded books and the service is 100% FREE! Many public libraries offer downloadable, unabridged audio books from Recorded Books and NetLibrary. NetLibrary is the world's leading provider of the digital version of books, journals, and databases that you can access 24 hours a days, seven days a week, and did I mention it’s FREE? With a NetLibrary account you can download and listen to books on your home computer or copy them to a portable listening device(MP3 player) to listen to anytime, anywhere.
You only need a few things to get started and most of them you probably already have:
Ÿ A home computer or laptop(not Macintosh) with an Internet Connection.
Ÿ An email address.
Ÿ Windows Media Player v. 9 or up, (Free to download).
Ÿ An LFPL library card.(or your local public library)
Ÿ A free NetLibrary account.
To get started, go to your local libraries website, you’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Log on and click on the link on the right that says, “New Downloadable Audiobooks.” This will take you to the NetLibrary home page, create an account there and you are ready to go. You can check to see if your local library participates in this program on the NetLibrary website.
You can download up to 10 titles at a time and listen to them for 21 days each. When you download an audio book, you are issued a license to listen to the material for 21 days. Each license is renewable up to three times and when the license expires, the audio book will no longer play. Simply delete the file from your PC or listening device and your done. Nothing to return, ever!
To listen to books in my car, I purchased an MP3 player, or you could probably steal one from your teen, (iPods are not compatible) and an FM Transmitter. My MP3 player is a Samsung YP-T7J and it cost$119.00, the FM Transmitter, was$49.99, both came from Best Buy. I plug my MP3 player into the transmitter, and plug the transmitter into my cars cigarette lighter outlet and -viola, I can listen to books through my car’s stereo system.
The initial cost of the MP3 player and FM transmitter was pricey, but I look at it as an investment, since it cost less than buying just four books on CD over the next year. An added bonus- my MP3 player also plays downloaded music, local FM radio stations and is a portable media device that I can use to transfer files from one computer to another. This may all sound confusing, but it’s really simple even if you are technology challenged. You can find detailed instructions and a list of compatible devices on the NetLibrary website.
If you’re a book lover like me, you will be amazed at what NetLibrary has to offer. Their eContent catalog has a growing collection of more than 600 of the latest audio best sellers, book club favorites, award-winning authors and more. So hang up your cell phone, turn off that morning radio talk show and “read” a good book on the way to work next week.
