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The official website of the City of Mansfield, Texas

MANSFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY

AUDIOBOOKS

WHAT ARE THEY?

Mansfield Public Library is pleased to offer its patrons access to a new collection of downloadable audiobooks. Downloadable audiobooks are digital versions of the latest bestsellers, book club favorites, award winning authors and more that you can download and listen to on your computer or mp3 player. Unlike audiobooks on tape or CD, downloadable audiobooks may be checked out by several people at once, and they will automatically expire after three weeks-no more long waits to hear your favorite book on audio, and no late fees!

FACTS ABOUT DOWNLOADABLE AUDIOBOOKS

  • You can download up to 10 books at a time
  • Download is for three weeks (they cannot be "returned" early)
  • May be renewed an unlimited number of times
  • Can be played on an mp3 player, but will not work on iPods
  • There are currently over 1,400 titles from which to choose, including fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and teen books.
  • You can download audiobooks to your home PC, but not to a library computer

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Browser

  • Firefox 1.0 and bove
  • Mozilla 1.1 and above
  • Netscape 6.2 and above
  • Opera 7.0 and above
  • Internet Explorer 5.5 and above

Media Player

  • Windows Media Player 9.0 and above
  • Musicmatch Jukebox v8.2 and above
  • Nullsoft Winamp v5 and above

Portable Listening Device

  • Playback of at least 32 kbps files
  • Minimum storage capacity of 256 MB (average CD quality file size for a downloadable audiobook is 140 MB)
  • Support for bookmarking (lets you bookmark when you stop listening, then pick up where you left off - you can use a player that doesn't support bookmarking but may have a harder time finding where you left off)
  • Full time stamping (will allow the full length of a downloadable audiobook file to display - you can use a player without full time stamping but the time displayed will be limited to the maximum allowed)
  • Will not work on iPods (iPods don't support WMA format)

HOW TO DOWNLOAD AN AUDIOBOOK

Finding an audiobook:

  1. Log in to NetLibrary eAudiobook Center with your library card number.
  2. Once you get to the NetLibrary eAudiobook Center, either click "Log In" at the top left (if you are a returning user), or click "Create a Free Account" at the top right (if you are a new user).
  3. You can search for an audiobook by title, author and more; or you can browse audiobooks by subject.
DOWNLOADING AN AUDIOBOOK
  1. Once you have found an audiobook you want to download, click "Download This Audiobook" in the NetLibrary record for the title.
  2. Select the quality you would like and click the link to download. (*Note: Radio quality will download faster, but you should use this quality only if you will be listening to the audiobook on your computer. Choose CD quality if you will listen to your audiobook on your mp3 player.)
  3. Choosing "open" on the download dialogue box will download the file and launch your media player to stream the book as it downloads. Choosing "save" will allow you to pick the location to where you would like the file to download.
  4. After the download is complete, open the downloadable audiobook in your media player while you are still connected to the Internet.
  5. Transfer to your mp3 player or other portable listening device in the same way you usually transfer audio files to your device.

RENEWING YOUR AUDIOBOOK

  1. Log in to your NetLibrary account
  2. Click on "My Checked Out Items." You will see a list of the items you have checked out.
  3. Click "Download this Audiobook" for the item you would like to renew. You will see a screen that is similar to the page you first used to download the audiobook.
  4. Click on "Renew Your Checkout for 21 Days" (No download. Only license to play file). Your audiobook is now renewed.

HAVING PROBLEMS?

Having problems? Check NetLibrary's Audiobook FAQs.

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