Get your books…and your audiobooks…at the Library!

Beth from the Library says you can check out audio books as well – here’s the scoop:

eAudiobooks are now available at the San Juan Island Library through OCLC NetLibrary. Residents of San Juan Island now have anytime, anywhere access to nearly 3,000 different eAudiobook titles.

eAudiobooks can be accessed and downloaded via the library’s Web site, www.sjlib.org . Users will need a library card number to get started.

eAudiobooks are books that have been read aloud and recorded by professional readers and performers. eAudiobooks are available from notable authors, such as James Patterson, Meg Cabot, Janet Evanovich, and Alexander McCall Smith. Collections available include: Popular Fiction, Romance, Westerns, Nonfction, Self-Help, Children’s Fiction and Children’s Classics, and more.

“Audiobooks, in the form of cassettes and CDs, have been popular at our library for many years,” said Laura Tretter, Library Director. “The ability to download eAudiobooks from the Web has been requested by long-time listeners as well as new listeners who want material for their portable media devices like iPods and mp3 players.”

A popular format in many libraries, eAudiobooks allow library users to listen to materials on-the-go. eAudiobooks can be checked out from a personal computer via the library’s Web site, 24/7. eAudiobooks are automatically returned to the library at the end of the three week checkout period. Books may be renewed by visiting the Netlibrary website.

eAudiobooks can be downloaded or played on any desktop, laptop or portable device that supports Windows Media Player version 9 and above. Users can also transfer favorite titles to a wide range of portable devices, including portable music players, portable media centers and more.

“We are excited to offer eBooks as a new resource for the residents of San Juan Island,” said Tretter. “Because eBooks are accessible anytime of the day or night from the Internet, people who can’t visit the library during open hours will still be able to gain access to these resources. We can offer eAudiobooks now because the Washington State Library organized a consortium of smaller libraries to cooperate where we could get affordable pricing. Adding eAudiobooks to our offerings more than doubles the audiobook collection of the San Juan Island Library. We are happy to expand what we can bring to the community.”

We are planning to offer introductory classes at the Library. Check back for dates and times and to sign up. Call the library at 360-378-2798 with any questions.

Library cards are free to island residents with proof of residency. Library hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

About NetLibrary

OCLC NetLibrary provides content and technical delivery solutions to institutional libraries, corporations and government agencies that facilitate the purchase, management and distribution of research, reference, digital learning and general interest content via Web-based technologies. NetLibrary’s eContent solution is the most broadly adopted in the market, making the content of more than 400 publishers and eContent providers available through more than 15,000 libraries worldwide. For more information, visit www.netlibrary.org .

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