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Free Downloads of Books Offered EXCLUSIVE: Any Members of Luzerne County's Library System Can Do Downloads at Home Starting July 1.

Posted on: Saturday, 20 May 2006, 06:02 CDT

By Jennifer Learn-Andes, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader

May 20--Luzerne County's 90,000 public library members will be able to download free audio books onto their home computers and portable audio devices starting July 1.

Library officials added the service because patrons have been requesting it and the libraries' existing hard-copy collection of audio books has become a popular feature, said Diane Suffren, executive director of the Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre.

The service, which costs the library system $22,400 annually, is also part of a plan to keep people interested and engaged in the county's 15 branches, Suffren said. A growing number of libraries nationwide are signing up for the service.

"People love audio books for trips or commutes to work or even while they're doing their gardening," Suffren said.

With the new service, the audio books can be downloaded to a personal computer or portable device that plays media audio files. At this time, iPods will not play these audio books because of a copyright issue.

Once downloaded, the audio books cannot be copied to CDs, Suffren said. They must be renewed just like a book.

Recorded Books, LLC, the vendor providing the service, says the download is good for 21 days, with an additional optional 21-day renewal. After that, the file becomes unreadable.

The file can't be transferred to other computers, though it may be transferred two times to portable listening devices.

Audio books can be downloaded or played on any desktop, laptop or portable device supporting Windows Media Player version 9 and above. Users also can transfer favorite titles to a wide range of portable devices, including portable music players, portable media centers, Pocket PCs and certain smartphone devices.

Recorded Books offers 1,300 downloadable books, including bestsellers, mysteries, thrillers and classics, Suffren said. The library opted to purchase a service that offers selections for both children and adults.

About 30 new titles are added each month.

County libraries are working on a plan to allow library members to connect their portable devices to library computers to download the audio books -- a useful service for people who don't have high-speed Internet access at home, Suffren said.

The audio books will be accessible at .us [http://www.luzerneco.lib.pa.us].

Suffren wants people to remember that county libraries also have thousands of audio books on CDs that can be borrowed and shared among the branches.

Library membership is free for county residents. Visit a local branch to sign up.

Suffren expects the new downloadable audio books will be popular because there are no waiting lists and people can download any time of the day, seven days a week.

An increasing number of people have features that allow them to listen to portable devices in their vehicles, she said.

Local libraries can afford the new service, in part, because the county has supported the library financially with tax revenue dedicated solely for the libraries, Suffren said.

She accepted a $381,000 check on behalf of the library system from the county commissioners on Wednesday. It's the first of three installments that will come this year.

Library branches also offer free computer classes and homework assistance -- other services designed to make the libraries more useful, Suffren said.

The homework assistance program started in March 2005 and has attracted hundreds of users, both students and their parents.

The library system pays $40,000 annually to a company that walks callers through homework. Students can e-mail a paper to the company for a grammar critique and feedback on how it sticks to theme, Suffren said.

The homework assistance covers up to the first year of college, and Spanish-speaking tutors are also available, she said.

To access the service, click the homework help icon on the library Web site after 3 p.m. on weekdays and during the specified hours on weekends.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333

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Copyright (c) 2006, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Times Leader

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Source: The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)

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