South Plainfield Public Library: DOWNLOAD DIGITAL AUDIO BOOKS

Listen NJ logo - click here to go to Listen NJ Check out and download digital audio books
and eBooks for free, 24/7!

South Plainfield Public Library cardholders now have immediate access to hundreds of digital audio books from Listen NJ, a project of the INFOLINK and Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperatives! For how-to instructions, click on a topic from the list at left, or take the free multimedia Multimedia Guided Tour.

Listen NJ now offers OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks, which can be transferred to a wide range of devices, including Windows® & Mac® PCs, iPhone®/iPad®/iPod®, Android™, BlackBerry®, and Windows® Phone 7!

Listen NJ now also offers eBooks, including KINDLE! new

NOTE: Additional eBooks which are in the public domain (no longer under copyright) may be downloaded without going through the ListenNJ checkout process! Click on the graphic at the bottom right side of the ListenNJ main page that says ENJOY ADDITIONAL EBOOKS TODAY! These public domain titles may be downloaded without login or checkout, and do NOT count against your regular checkout/lending options. This collection contains over 15,000 titles!

Enjoy... and don't forget to let us know what you think!

About Listen NJ

Access couldn't be easier! Use your personal computer and library card to download audiobooks and eBooks, including:

popular fiction
mystery, suspense and thrillers
biography
romance
literary classics
business and career books
children's literature and learning aids
current events and history books
religion and spirituality books
self improvement books
and more!

You may download audiobooks to your personal computer and transfer them to a Windows-based MP3 player or Apple® devices, or burn them on CDs. You may download Adobe EPUB eBooks to your computer and transfer them to a portable reader. For more information on compatible devices, see Overdrive's Device Resource Center.

For more help with Listen NJ, see Listen NJ Help pages

Installation

Listen NJ Quick Start Guide

Multimedia Guided Tour : Introduction [UPDATED LINK!]

To access digital books at Listen NJ you will need:

A valid South Plainfield library card.
Internet access from your home computer (you may NOT use the Library's computers to download audiobooks); high spped access (cable or DSL) is recommended.
Free OverDrive Media Console™ software for the device or computer on which you wish to download materials. Before downloading & installing OverDrive Media Console™, make sure your computer or device meets the system requirements listed on the download page.

NOTE: You can use other browsers such as Firefox to download audiobooks from Listen NJ, but the downloading procedure may vary from these instructions. Firefox users click here for information.

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.

Search for a Good Book to Download

1. If you have not yet downloaded and installed the free OverDrive Media Console™ software to your computer or listening device, do so now. Before downloading & installing OverDrive Media Console™, make sure your computer or device meets the system requirements listed on the download page.

OverDrive Media Console FAQ

Multimedia Guided Tour: OverDrive Media Console Installation [UPDATED LINK!]

Multimedia Guided Tour : Overdrive Media Console [UPDATED LINK!]

2. Next, go to the Listen NJ online catalog to search for a book. Using the Book Search column on the righthand side of the screen (shown below), you may:

Search by author, title, or all keywords. To do a more detailed search, click on Advanced Search.
Browse the collection (Multimedia Guided Tour: Browse, Checkout, and Download [UPDATED LINK!]):
- By format (iPod®-compatible Audiobooks for Windows users, MP3 Audiobooks for Windows and Mac users, View all eBooks, View all MP3 Audiobooks, View all WMA Audiobooks)
- By collections (New eBooks, New Arrivals, Try These, etc.).
- By audiobook Fiction genre (All fiction, teen, drama, historical, horror, humor, juvenile, literature, mystery & suspense, romance, sci fi/fantasy, short stories, western, young adult).
- By audiobook Non-Fiction subject (All non-fiction, biography & autobiography, business & careers, current events & politics, family & relationships, foreign language study, health & fitness, history, humor, juvenile, music, philosophy, religion & spirituality, self-improvement, sports & recreation, true crime).
- By eBook Fiction genre (All fiction, historical, juvenile, literature, mystery & suspense, romance, sci fi/fantasy).
- By ebook Non-Fiction subject (All non-fiction, biography & autobiography, business & careers, current events & politics, history, juvenile, religion & spirituality).

NOTE: As a rule, Advanced Search will provide more complete results than browsing.

If you decide to Browse a category, you may sort the results list by clicking on title, author, published date, most popular, or date added to the site at the top of the column as shown below:

Select your book by clicking on 'add to cart'. (You can also choose the 'add to wish list' option)
Your cart will then be displayed as shown below.
To select another book click on Continue Browsing. If you are finished, click on Proceed to Checkout.

Checkout

Checkout Details for Audio Books and eBooks:

You may have a maximum of five digital audio books and/or eBooks checked out at one time.
NOTE: Additional eBooks which are in the public domain (no longer under copyright) may be downloaded without going through the ListenNJ checkout process! Click on the graphic at the bottom right side of the ListenNJ main page that says ENJOY ADDITIONAL EBOOKS TODAY! These public domain titles may be downloaded without login or checkout, and do NOT count against your regular checkout/lending options. This collection contains over 15,000 titles! For tips on using these files with Adobe Digital Editions, click here.
CLICK HERE to go directly to the public domain eBooks collection.
The system will stop you from adding more than five books to your cart; once you have five books in your cart, you will have to remove one or more books before you can put additional items in your cart.
If items you previously checked out are not yet expired and you attempt to check out more books, the system will alert you that you already have items checked out. If your total (books previously checked out plus books in your cart) is more than five, you will have to remove books from your cart before you can complete your checkout.
Lending periods can vary from title to title. Additionally, you can set personalized default lending period(s) on a format-by-format basis at the 'Lending Periods' page. Additionally, you can select a lending period on a title-by-title basis. In the course of checking out any title, you can choose a loan period of seven or ten days for each item when you check out.
When the loan period is over the file expires and the material is automatically checked back in. Due to publisher licensing agreements, borrowed audiobooks cannot be returned early. Adobe® eBooks can be returned using Adobe Digital Editions. EPUB ebooks can be returned using OverDrive Media Console v2.3 (or newer) for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone/iPad.
Your items cannot be renewed, but you can check them out again if they are available when your checkout expires.
You do not need to come to the Library to either select or return a digital audio book. Everything is done from your home computer or portable device.
Click 'Join Waiting List' to place an unavailable item on hold. You may have up to 5 items on hold at any given time. When the requested title is available, you will be sent an e-mail. You will have 5 days to download your reserved audio book after the e-mail is sent to you, otherwise it will go to the next customer waiting for it. You can cancel a hold from the 'My Waiting List' option on your 'Audiobook Account' page.
(Multimedia Guided Tour: Placing a Hold [UPDATED LINK!])
For more on borrowing policies and procedures, see Borrowing FAQ.

To check out your audiobooks and eBooks:
(Multimedia Guided Tour: Browse, Checkout, and Download [UPDATED LINK!])

If a Security Alert dialog box pops up, click OK.
Select South Plainfield Public Library in the first drop down box (below).
Type in your complete 14-digit library card bar code number beginning with 29377 (type in numbers only), and hit <ENTER> or click on 'Login'.

The Check Out screen will ask you to Confirm Checkout and tell you how many other books you currently have checked out (below).

The book is now checked out to you and you may now download your selection.

How to Download an Audiobook

The Windows Media Security Upgrade must be performed before Microsoft® Windows Media Player will allow any DRM-protected files to be downloaded. The security update identifies the copy of Windows Media Player with the computer on which Windows Media Player is being used. Publishers often require this sort of security in order to discourage the unlawful redistribution of digital content.

The first time you attempt to download DRM-protected titles, OverDrive Media Console checks to see if a security upgrade is needed. If prompted, follow the instructions provided in the prompts to complete the security upgrade. See OverDrive Media Console FAQ (question #5). for additional information.

1. After checking out an audio book, click on the 'Download' link for that title.

2. 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 on your hard drive (or, if you prefer, specify another location on your hard drive).

Depending on your connection speed and the size of the file, downloading may take several minutes or longer — MUCH longer if you are using a dial-up connection to the Internet. A high-speed internet connection (cable or DSL) is recommended for downloading audiobooks.

HELPFUL TIP: If you find you are getting skips and other defects in your downloaded audiobooks, do not use your computer for other tasks while downloading audio files.

NOTE: If you are trying to download files from Firefox or another browser rather than Internet Explorer, the downloading process may differ slightly from what is described here. Firefox users click here for information.

Multimedia Guided Tour: Browse, Checkout, and Download

How to Play and Navigate an Audiobook

1. In the OverDrive Media Console, click once on the title you'd like to hear, then click the 'Play' button (circled in red below).

2. OverDrive Media Explorer will open and begin playing the book.

3. In the Media Explorer window, click on the part of the book you would like to hear under 'Parts' (indicated by a red arrow in the above picture). Use the 'Media Markers' section to jump to specific sections of that part.

4. The next time you open an audiobook you were listening to in the Media Console, it will automatically start playing where you left off.

5. You can create your own bookmarks anywhere in the audio file. In the Media Explorer window, click on the Bookmark icon in the bottom toolbar. The bookmark icon is 4th from the left (indicated by a green arrow in the above picture), just to the left of the Windows Media Player Launch icon.

How to Burn an Audiobook to a CD

Multimedia Guided Tour: Burn Audio to a CD [UPDATED LINK!]

Click here for instructions on how to burn an audiobook to CD using OverDrive Media Console.

NOTE: Burning audio to CD is not permitted for all titles.

NOTE: For adult books of average length, it may take 10 or more CDs to burn one complete audio book onto CDs.

How to Transfer an Audiobook to a Portable Device

Listen NJ now offers OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks which can be transferred to a wide range of devices, including iPod®, iPhone™, and iPod Touch! For more information on compatible devices, see Overdrive's Device Resource Center.

Multimedia Guided Tour: Portable Audio Devices [UPDATED LINK!]

Multimedia Guided Tour: Transfer Audio to a Portable Device [UPDATED LINK!]

Connect your portable player to your computer and open the OverDrive Media Console.
In OverDrive Media Console, highlight the title you wish to transfer and click the 'Transfer' button. The OverDrive Media Console Transfer Wizard will be displayed.
Verify that the correct title is displayed on the first screen of the Transfer Wizard and click 'Next'. The Transfer Wizard will search for a connected portable device. If your device is detected, the 'Confirm' screen will be displayed. If your device is not detected, the Transfer Wizard will display a message stating that 'no portable players could be found.' Click here for more information about this and other transfer problems.
In the 'Confirm' dialog box, select the Part(s) you want to transfer by checking the box(es) next to the Part name(s).
Click 'Next' to begin transferring the file(s) to your device. When the file transfer is complete, the Transfer Wizard displays a 'success' message.
Click 'Finish' to exit the Transfer Wizard. You may now disconnect your portable device and enjoy your title.

E-Books

Help with eBooks: Basics

Help with KINDLE eBooks new . NOTE : Listen NJ will send you to Amazon.com to download KINDLE® eBooks. Click here for a PDF cheat sheet on checking out KINDLE eBooks.

E-Books in the Adobe® Digital Editions EPUB format: Click here for System Requirements and Instructions

Multimedia Guided Tour: Adobe® E-Books

CLICK HERE to go directly to the regular eBooks collection.

CLICK HERE to go directly to KINDLE eBooks collection. new

CLICK HERE to go directly to the public domain eBooks collection.

You can find more free e-texts at sites linked on our
USEFUL WEBSITES: Books and HOMEWORK LINKS: Books pages.

Multimedia Guided Tour: Digital Rights Management [UPDATED LINK!]

Some titles cannot be burned to a CD because of copyright restrictions. To learn whether a particular CD can be burned or not:

Click on the image of the book in your results list (do not click on add to cart )
Scroll down to the bottom of the book description to Digital Rights Information
Restrictions on the use of this title will be displayed.

Troubleshooting

Need Help?

1. The most common problem when attempting to download a book is your computer's firewall, if you have one.

If you are running Norton Internet Security you will need to set up a rule to allow it to accept downloads from OverDrive.
Check your Windows XP firewall.

2. 'When I tried to download the digital audio book the error message said I needed an Internet connection.'

Your firewall may be blocking the download. You must configure your firewall to permit the OverDrive Media Console to access the Internet.
Check Windows Media Player's connection. To do so, open the Windows Media Player, go to Tools, Options. Under Player Settings select the option that says Connect to the Internet.

3. Still having problems? Listen NJ offers some additional troubleshooting tips for: WMA Audiobooks, MP3 Audiobooks and Adobe EPub eBooks.

Information on this page is adapted from content by
East Brunswick Public Library, Listen NJ, and Overdrive Inc.