NetLibrary Audiobook Frequently Asked Question List

No. NetLibrary advertises the Media Center prominently on the front of the site, but it is not required to download an audiobook, listen to it on your computer, or transfer it to a media player. In some cases the Media Player will not work at all (it seems to be incompatible with 64-bit versions of Windows, for example) so if you have problems with it, just download audio books directly from the NetLibrary website.

Q: What do I need to play a NetLibrary audiobook?

A: If you want to use the NetLibrary Media Console (a free download heavily promoted on the NetLibrary site), you will need a computer running Microsoft Windows (98, ME, 2000, XP, or Vista), Windows Media Player version 9, 10 or 11, and an Internet connection. NetLibrary has both WMA and MP3 audiobooks. If you want to play a WMA audiobook, you will need Microsoft Windows and/or a player which supports Microsoft's secure WMA format. Players that are compatible with this are generally labeled either PlaysForSure (the old name) or Certified for Windows Vista (the new name). If you want to play an MP3 audiobook, most available media players (including Apple iPods) will work.

Q: What do I need to do to download a NetLibrary audiobook?

You need a valid Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District card and a computer that meets the above specifications.  Using your library card you can go to the NetLibrary site through our 24-Hour Resources page and then create a NetLibrary account.

Q: Can I play NetLibrary audiobooks on an Apple Macintosh computer or on an Apple iPod?

A: NetLibrary does not let you download an MP3 file to a Macintosh, although it would work on a Mac if you can find a way to get it there. If you have an iPod connected to a Windows computer, you can download MP3 audiobooks and transfer them to your iPod. The audiobooks which are identified as WMA files will not work on a Macintosh or an iPod.

Q: I have Windows Media Player 9 on my Apple Macintosh.  Will that play a WMA NetLibrary audiobook?

A: No.  The version of Windows Media Player Microsoft released for Macintosh does not support Microsoft's Digital Rights Management.  This version of the player only plays unprotected Windows Media format files.

Q: What is 'Digital Rights Management'?

A: Digital Rights Management is a method that publishers can use to restrict how a file is used.  This is done to prevent copyrighted works from being freely distributed to people who have not paid for their use.  In the case of Microsoft's PlaysForSure, Digital Rights Management is used to prevent you from using the audiobook past the 21 day checkout period without renewing it and to prevent you from copying the content onto audio CDs.

Q: After the 21 day checkout period ends, what happens to my downloaded audiobook?

A: The audiobook remains on your computer or audio player, but will no longer be playable on that computer or player.  If the audiobook was a 160 MB download, it will still use up 160 MB of your computer's hard drive space, but it will not be usable by you unless you get a new license for that audiobook from NetLibrary.  To get a new license you just go to NetLibrary and checkout the audiobook again and instead of downloading a CD or radio quality file, you download the license only.  If you have finished using the file, it is safe to delete it and free up some hard drive space.

Q: What is the difference between the CD quality and radio quality audiobook files?

A: The CD quality sounds better, uses up a lot more space, and can be transferred to a MP3 player.  Over a slow Internet connection the average audiobook in CD quality will take 10 hours or more to download.  The radio quality doesn't sound quite so good, is a lot smaller (and hence, a lot faster to download), and cannot be transferred to a MP3 player.  If you have a dial-up Internet connection and intend to listen to the audiobook on your computer, the radio quality is probably the preferable choice as it won't take many hours to download the file.

Q: Can I download audiobooks on the Library's computers?

A: The simple answer is 'no.' We cannot support the ability to transfer audiobooks to a MP3 player.  Also when you start playing the audiobook on a computer to which you have downloaded it, it ties the use of the audiobook to that computer.  When our computers are rebooted they would delete the audiobook but the license would still be tied to that computer for the duration of the checkout period of 21 days.  However, if you have a large USB thumbdrive (preferably 256 MB or more) it IS possible to download an audiobook from NetLibrary onto the thumbdrive.  Then you could take the thumbdrive home and license the file to your home computer.  This would be most useful for someone who had a MP3 player and a home computer running Windows that only had a dial-up Internet connection.

Q: Do I need to be connected to the Internet to listen to a NetLibrary audiobook?

A: Generally, no.  You do need to be connected to the Internet the first time you play the audiobook so the license to play the audiobook on that computer is established.  After the audiobook has been licensed to be played on that computer, an Internet connection is no longer required.  In this way you could, for instance, download an audiobook to a laptop and license it while you had an Internet connection, and then listen to the audiobook off of the laptop while on an airplane or in a car.

Q: How many audiobooks can I have checked out simultaneously?

A: You can have as many as 10 audiobooks checked out at any given time.

Q: My question hasn't been answered here.  Is there anywhere else I can look?

A: You can check NetLibrary's own Frequently Asked Questions list about their audiobooks at http://www.netlibrary.com/Help/Default.aspx?Page=FAQ.  As always, you are encouraged to come to the Reference Desk or call the Library at (847) 446-7220 and we will try to answer your question for you.

Page last updated on: July 10, 2009