NetLibrary: A User's View

by Timothy S. Hillebrand

 

 

A lot has happened in the fledgling eBook industry over the past few years with major players changing and evolving. While eBooks, the digital reproductions of printed books, have not taken off with the revolutionary explosion many predicted, there has been a steady evolution. Just as TV never replaced radio, it is not likely that eBooks will completely replace printed books. But eBooks are now firmly entrenched in our digital culture.

 

A couple of years ago I attended a conference, composed mostly of librarians, on the subject of the digital native. A digital native is a person who has grown up in the computer age and takes the associated technology for granted. A digital native normally has little use for a library, has no idea what a card catalog is, and would probably rather play a video game than read a printed book for entertainment. The concern of the workshop was how libraries can reach out to the digital native and remain relevant in the community.

 

One of the ways libraries have retooled their relevancy is by offering digital products. But it's not enough to offer CDs with music, books, and movies. Once the copy is checked out, it is no longer available. And, just like printed books, CDs can become lost and damaged.

 

A better solution is offered by services such as NetLibrary (http://www.netlibrary.com) that allow patrons to download eBooks and eAudiobooks, the digital version of books on tape or CD. This means that with a library card and a NetLibrary account, it's possible to download thousands of titles from any remote location without even having to go into the library. Suddenly, even the smallest library can offer thousands of electronic titles to its patrons. However, the NetLibrary system is flawed in only allowing one person to view a book at a time, which limits the impact of the technology.

 

Check out time is 21 days after which the license expires and the file is no longer active. There are no worries about returning it or paying past due fines. To renew it, simply download the file again and get a new license for another 21 days. For libraries using WorldCat's electronic catalog, both eBooks and eAudiobooks are integrated and clearly indicated as electronic media available for download directly from the catalog listing.

 

I have been a staunch supporter of eBooks, full of enthusiasm and optimism. I like to take road trips, and one of my greatest delights is listening to a good audiobook to make the time pass. I used to stock up on books on tape, and later on CDs. But when I finished them, I usually had to package them up and return them to my library, which was a costly bother. Now when I am finished listening to an eAudiobook, I merely delete the file and download another one, no matter where I am at the time.

 

All Idaho residents currently have access to NetLibrary thanks to the organization Libraries Linking Idaho (http://www.lili.org). Library patrons can set up an account through their local library or go directly to the LiLI website. With a NetLibrary account, they can go directly to the NetLibrary site. Then it is simply a matter of navigating to the download page and choosing whether to acquire eBooks or eAudiobooks. One can search for specific titles, authors, subject, or genres. The categories include Arts & Entertainment, Biography & Memoir, Business, Children's Classics, Fiction & Literature, Historical Fiction, Lectures, Reference Works, and many more. The number of titles available to Idaho residents at present is about 2,700 eAudiobooks and 100 eBooks.

 

The eAudiobooks are almost always unabridgedno Reader's Digest condensed versions allowed. Have you priced an unabridged eAudiobook lately? They can run $80 each or more. When you consider the convenience of the service and the fact that these materials are free from the library, I think patrons should give our librarians a big hug.

 

eBooks

 

In my opinion, NetLibrary has not helped to further the cause of eBooks. A library must have acquired an Adobe Content Server Gateway License in order to download eBooks in PDF format. Many libraries do not have this option available, in which case patrons may only read the works online. One could laboriously copy each page and transfer it to a handheld device, but that is hardly worth the effort.

 

NetLibrary's choice of PDF format for eBooks is a poor one, for reading an eBook in this format is the worst possible experience. It would have been much better to select a reader such as MobiPocket that allows bookmarking, annotating, drawing, highlighting, searching, altering type size/style, color, and backgrounds plus popup dictionary definitions by merely tapping a word. This is what makes reading an eBook so worthwhile on a handheld device compared to a printed book. PDF formatted eBooks are little better than a printed Book without most of the aforementioned features.

 

If there's a book that you really would enjoy reading, it might be worth downloading it, converting it to text and then putting it into a MobiPocket reader so that you will have all the enhancements to make it an enjoyable reading experience.

 

Alternatively, the University of Virginia Library (http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/collections/
subjects/) allows one to download free eBooks in Palm and Microsoft Reader format, and Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org) offers free eBooks in text, html, and Plucker formats. One can read Palm, text, and html files in MobiPocket reader, which I highly recommend. There is even a limited number of eAudiobooks available from Project Gutenberg.

 

For someone willing to pay for eBooks and get more current releases, there are many sites available. My favorites are MobiPocket.com (http://www.mobipocket.com) and Ebooks.com (http://www.ebooks.com).

 

eAudiobooks

 

NetLibrary eAudiobooks may be listened to on any device that is compatible with the Windows Media Player's WMA format. That means that they do not function with iPhone, iPod, or Zune devices (because of digital rights management issues). But they can be heard on any Windows Mobile device and most MP3 players.

 

The NetLibrary download for any eAudiobook offers the choice of CD or radio quality sound. CD quality is recommended for use on handheld devices. From there one needs only click the download button, and when the file has finished it is necessary to open it in Windows Media Player so that the player can contact NetLibrary for a license to play the audiobook. Once the license is acquired, it is possible to listen to it on the computer or transfer it to a mobile player. To transfer it to a Windows Mobile device or to an MP3 player, follow the transfer instructions for your specific machine. You can use Windows Media Player for file transfer if you wish by invoking the sync function. Or you can simply drag and drop from PC to remote device directory.

 

You can listen to eAudiobooks on your Windows Mobile device using Windows Media Player. However, you cannot bookmark where you left off in Media Player, which is a nuisance. But, there are several audio players available that do allow bookmarking. Some of my favorites include Pocket Tunes Deluxe by NormSoft, Pocket Player by Conduits Technologies, and AudioPlayer by Vito Technologies. These players will allow you to add bookmarks for listening convenience. Some even allow indexing of multiple bookmarks.

 

Other devices

 

NetLibrary lists several tested devices that work with the system, including Archos Gmini 4021 Camcorder, Archos 104, Creative Zen 2/4/8/16/32 GN, Creative Zen V, Creative Zen V Plus, Creative Zen Vision W, Creative Zen Vision M 60 GB, Samsung YP-T7JZ, Samsung YP Z5, Samsung YP-S5, Samsung YP-K#A, Toshiba Gigabeat S30.

 

I have personally tested two Sandisk Sansa devices, the Clip and the Fuze MP3 players. Both of these slim and diminutive players perform perfectly and allow bookmarking, which makes them ideal for audiobook listening and I recommend them highly.

 

Conclusion

 

While I appreciate NetLibrary making its services available to libraries so that patrons can enjoy free and mobile access to a wide array of eBook and eAudiobooks, its choice of formats is not the best. It precludes some of the most popular devices such as iPods and the best eBook reader programs, such as MobiPocket and eReader. Using PDF format for eBook downloads is most unfortunate, as patrons are offered the least desirable reading experience with few of the features available that make reading eBooks so enjoyable in the first place. Using only WMA format for eAudiobooks is equally limiting.

 

These are the kind of bumps in the evolutionary pathway of digital media that will cause it to take longer for the public to embrace eBooks. NetLibrary is poised to make a great contribution because of its distribution network, but it needs to update its formats and streamline its processes.

 

I applaud the efforts of so many local libraries in their efforts to become more relevant in a digital world. It's just too bad that they are limited in their choices. NetLibrary needs some competition. The digital literati would benefit and rejoice with many new converts along the way.