Jacksonville Public Library to offer online audiobooks on JPL Web site

Beginning March 1, eAudiobooks will be available at the Jacksonville Public Library through OCLC NetLibrary. Thanks to a grant from the Texas Book Festival, Jacksonville Public Library patrons now have anytime, anywhere access to over 1,800 different eAudiobook titles for adults, teens and children.

eAudiobooks may be accessed and downloaded via the library's Web site at http:// www.jacksonvillelibrary.com. New users will need to stop by the library for instructions on how to create an online account.

The eAudiobooks will supplement the library's current collection of audiobooks on CD and cassette. Collections available will include: Children's and Young Adult, CEV Holy Bible, Pimsleur Language Series, Popular Fiction and Self Help. These collections will offer over 1,500 adult titles, with about 30 new titles being added each month. There will also be almost 400 children/young adult titles.

"Audiobooks, in the form of cassettes and CDs, have been popular items in our library for many years," said Barbara Crossman, Library Director. "However, the past few years have seen an increase in demand that we have tried hard to keep up with.

"This year the Library was awarded a grant from the Texas Book Festival to help us cover the costs of setting up this new service and to help pay for the first year's subscription. We are very grateful to them for helping us bring this service to our patrons."

A popular format in many libraries, eAudiobooks allow library users to listen to materials on-the-go. eAudiobooks can be checked out from the library or from a personal computer via the library's Web site, http://www.jacksonvillelibrary. com. Patrons can check out up to 10 titles at a time for a three-week checkout period. The eAudiobooks are automatically "returned" to the library at the end of the three weeks.

Mrs. Crossman issued a warning about purchasing devices to play the eAudiobooks.

"We need to emphasize that these eAudiobooks are not currently compatible with iPods or Zunes. Those players use technology that is incompatible with the DRM (Digital Rights Management) that protects the eAudiobook content and allows it to expire on the due date.

eAudiobooks can be downloaded or played on any desktop, laptop or portable device that supports Windows Media Player version 9 and above and/or is branded "PlaysFor- Sure" (on older devices) or "Certified for Windows Vista" (on newer devices).

Users can also transfer favorite titles to a wide range of portable devices, including portable music players, portable media centers and more. A list of fully-tested compatible players is available online at http://support. oclc.org/Resolutions/Tested- Players.pdf.

For more information on this service, visit the library's Web site at http://www.jacksonvillelibrary. com, or call the library at 903-586-7664.