Audiobooks

Electronic books and readers – known as eBooks and eReaders – have generated a lot of buzz lately, as the sales of these portable reading devices have skyrocketed. More and more people are showing interest in these lightweight, inexpensive, and convenient alternatives to printed books and magazines.

Do you have a Kindle, Sony eReader, Barnes and Noble nook, or another eReader? Are you thinking about purchasing one for yourself or a family member? Did you know that the Troy Public Library has eBooks available free-of-charge for you to download to your eReader or smartphone?

If you are interested in the eBook revolution, attend All About eBooks and eReaders sponsored by the Troy Library. This 90-minute session will answer all of your questions, and show you what resources are available to you from the Library. We will demonstrate some of the more popular eReaders, purchased courtesy of the Friends of the Troy Library. And if you have an eReader, bring it, and we will show you how to set up an account.

All About eBooks and eReaders will be offered at 6:30 pm on the following dates (click on the date to register): Wednesday, January 11; Thursday February 2; and Tuesday, February 28. Questions? Call the Library's Technology Center at 248.524.3542 or email techroom@troymi.gov.

Are you interested in downloading FREE eAudibooks this summer? Now you can, thanks to Audiobook Community's SYNC campaign.

The SYNC campaign is designed to get more young adults listening to audiobooks. From June 23 through August 17, two audiobooks will be available each week for download: one current young adult title and one classic title. Each week, both books will share a common theme. All audiobooks used in the SYNC campaign are in the MP3 format and will work with both PCs and Macs. They can be transferred to a wide array of mobile devices.

Additionally, OverDrive, the vendor which provides downloadable book and audiobooks to the Troy Public Library, is distributing all of the SYNC titles. To download titles, you will need to install the OverDrive Media Console. After you have downloaded your titles from SYNC, be sure to check out other free OverDrive downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks that are available from the Library.

For more on SYNC, including the release schedule for free eAudiobooks, go here. To download this week's selections, go here. To get text reminders of upcoming titles, text syncya to 25827.

Troy Public Library's Adult Summer Reading Program starts Wednesday, June 22. You can register online here for a chance to win a weekly prize (a $25 gift certificate to the Somerset Collection) or our grand prize (a $50 gift certificate to the Somerset Collection).

If you have not read an eBook nor listened to an eAudiobook yet, the Summer Reading Program is the perfect time to try these popular collections available from the Library. These items can be downloaded to your Windows or Mac computer, transferred to many popular eReaders, or downloaded directly to your smartphone. Get started by clicking the "Download eBooks, Audiobooks" link under the Library Links menu at left, then click on OverDrive.

Interested in technology? The Library has several new books related to technology available, including Idea Man: A Memior by the Co-founder of Micorsoft by Paul Allen, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle, Final Jeopardy: Man vs. Machine and the Quest to Know Everything by Stephen Baker, and Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen.

Whether it is an eBook, eAudiobook, or paper book, enroll in the Adult Summer Reading program and start reading!

OverDrive, a provider of downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks to the Troy Public Library, has recently released a version of its OverDrive Media Console app for Windows Phone. Now Windows Phone users can directly download OverDrive MP3-format eAudiobooks and EPUB-format eBooks to their device. This new app also has the same features of other OverDrive apps for smartphones, including the ability to return eBooks early and the ability to link Troy's OverDrive site to the app directly with the Get Library feature.  

Download the OverDrive Media Console app for Windows Phone here.

For more information, including a video demonstration of this app in action, see this blog post from the Library's Technology Department.

 June is National Audiobook Month. What better way to celebrate then by enjoying a downloadable audiobooks available from the Troy Public Library. You can listen to downloadable audiobooks on your computer, or you can transfer them to a variety of other devices, such as an iPod, an MP3 player, a Blackberry, or a smartphone. Click here for a complete list of supported devices. 

To access downloadable audiobooks, click on "Download eBooks, Audiobooks" under "Library Links" on the left. Then click on the OverDrive logo. This will take you to the OverDrive website, where you can search for a specific title or pull up a list of titles by your favorite author. 

Before downloading your first audiobook, you will need to download the OverDrive Media Console, to make sure the audiobook plays properly on your computer or device. Click on the words, "OverDrive Media Console" on the OverDrive website and select the device to which you are downloading. This will prompt a short set of instructions. This only needs to be done once, not every time you download an audiobook.

For more information or help, visit the Technology Center in the Adult area of the Library, or email techroom@troymi.gov.

OverDrive, a provider of downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks to the Troy Public Library, has updated its OverDrive Media Console apps for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad, and Android devices. These allow users to download eBooks in the EPUB format directly to their mobile device. Additionally, the apps continue to allow direct downloading of MP3 format eAudiobooks. 

You can download the new apps here or by going to the Apple App Store or the Android Marketplace on your mobile device.

OverDrive will soon be releasing improved apps for other mobile devices, including BlackBerrys and iPads.

For more information, see this post from the Library's Technology Department blog. To access OverDrive, click here.