Electronic Audiobooks Return to The Northfield Public Library

They’re back and they’re better than ever! Electronic audiobooks (eAudiobooks), including iPod-compatible titles, from Recorded Books are now available at the Northfield Public Library through OCLC NetLibrary. All Northfield Public Library cardholders now have anytime, anywhere access to thousands of different audiobook titles.

“The Northfield News and the Star Tribune have both recently touted the availability of these eAudiobooks through the Dakota County Libraries. The Northfield Public Library offers the same service to our library users,” said Debby Nitz, Resource Librarian at the Northfield Library. “We’re really excited that over 1,000 titles will work on iPods. Plus, the new software – Media Center – makes downloading easier than ever.”

The NetLibrary Media Center allows direct downloads to a computer or a portable device that supports Windows Media Player version 11 or above. About half of the titles available through the Media Center can also be downloaded directly to iPods. Library users can download the NetLibrary Media Center on their home computers. Media Center software has also been loaded on several computers at the Northfield Public Library, including the laptops that are available for checkout and use in the library.

Electronic audiobooks can be accessed and downloaded via the library’s Web site, www.northfieldmn.info. Users who already have a NetLibrary account through the Northfield Public Library should be able to use that account with this new version of the software. It is easy to create a new account – the only thing needed is a Northfield library card.

A popular format in many libraries, eAudiobooks allow library users to listen to materials on the go and can be checked out from the library or from a personal computer via the library’s web site, 24/7. Users may check out up to 10 eAudiobooks at a time, and they are automatically returned to the library at the end of the checkout period. While a few of the bestsellers may be checked out to only one user at a time, most of the 2000 titles can be checked out at the same time to several different users.

For further information or assistance in downloading eAudiobooks, please call the library at 645-6606.