Digital Audio Ebooks

1
Digital Audio Ebooks

• Lori Bell
• Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center
• Ebooks in Academic Libraries Conference
• March 2005

2
An Exciting and Evolving Market!

• Last fall, few vendors offered the option of
  downloadable digital audiobooks and none had a
  library management model
• By January 2005, several library vendors jumped
  into the marketplace with new models for
  circulation

• Overdrive
• netLibrary/Recorded Books
• Tumblebooks
• Audible.com no library circulation model, but
  used by several library groups

3
Overdrive

• http//www.overdrive.com
• Single libraries/consortia
• Overdrive creates website, hosts website and
  books
• Library card and pin required
• Single book, single user circulation model
• Library admin module for selection, stats

• Library pays for hosting and cost of books
• Option of buying unlimited access to bestselling
  books
• Libraries select books
• Books become part of the collection
• Windows Media Audio format download to computer,
  or handheld device

4
netLibrary/Recorded Books

• http//www.netlibrary.com/RecordedBooks/BasicSearc
  h.aspx
• Single library model
• netLibrary hosts books and website
• Library card and pin number required
• Numerous simultaneous users

• Libraries do not select books get a preset
  collection of 500 books
• Price is based on librarys circulation number
• Subscription model library pays for access each
  year
• Windows Media Audio format listen on computer
  or handheld device

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TumbleTalkingBooks

• http//www.tumblebooks.com/talkingbooks/home.asp
• Online, 24/7 audiobook library hosted by Tumble
• Single library pricing model consortia can get
  discounts
• Subscription pricing based on number of titles
  libraries want to offer at any given time for
  instance 100 books is 2000

• Simultaneous, multi-user model
• Cannot check out must be read online using
  flash player
• Library admin module for book selection

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TumblebookLibrary

• http//www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/home_tumble
  books.asp
• Animated, audiobooks for children
• Single library model
• Tumble hosts books and provides library link to
  website
• No library card and pin number required

• Simultaneous, multi-user
• Must be read online and cannot be downloaded
• Uses Flash software
• Subscription pricing access to all books in
  collection one price, same price per library

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Coming from TumbleBooks

• Tumblebooks also offers large print online
• Tumble is working on a print/audio online ebook
  that will sync print and audio especially for
  new readers, readers using English as a second
  language

8
Audible.com

• http//www.audible.com
• Geared to consumer market
• Libraries can lend books to patrons on a device
  Otis or Muvo
• Patrons cannot download on their own computer
  from librarys collection
• Libraries can only loan out as many copies at one
  time as they have

• Single library or consortia
• Audible hosts content
• Library must develop circulation model
• Audible proprietary format for consumers will
  play on computer or compatible handheld device
• No library admin module

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Projects MITBC Involved In

• Unabridged with Overdrive http//unabridged.lib.o
  verdrive.com
• Lobe Library with Audible.com http//www.lobelibr
  ary.org
• Tumble Book libraries http//www.ilkidszone.info
• Mid-Illinois Digital Talking Book Project
• http//www.midtb.org (trying all above formats
  including netLibrary)

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For more information

• Contact
• Lori Bell, Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center
• Lbell_at_alliancelibrarysystem.com or
• 1-800-426-0709
• Tom Peters, Project Director
• Tapinformation_at_yahoo.com or
• 816-228-6406