Overdrive

Written by Jesse “Chip” Stoltzfus

In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends
imprisoned by an enchanter in paper and leathern boxes.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

I have always loved to read. That is at least as far back as I can remember I’ve loved to read. I have found many dear friends and fantastic places in the pages of a book. I can still remember the first time I read Sum of all Fears by Tom Clancy. Or what it was like to stand on the deck of the Pequod next to Captain Ahab will reading Moby Dick. Now you may ask why is this guy writing about literature for a technology blog. Over the years I was dismayed to realize that I no longer had the time to sit down and read for hours on end, until recently. It was on a solo trip to New England that I discovered the joys of audio-books. Many people have long commutes. At one point I was working at a job that required an one hour plus drive one way. I might not have two hours to sit in my easy chair and read, but I have almost that much time in a car everyday (not to mention when I’m doing chores around home).

My first experiences with audio-books involved the good old cassette tape. It worked, but was bulky and had a limited selection. Next I tried cd’s, but that did not satisfy me either. Than I finally joined the 21st century and got an mp3 player. The first time I used this for audio-books was from ripped cd’s. This was not ideal either, due to the time it takes to transfer them from cd to computer to mp3 player. That is when I discovered Overdrive Media Console. It is a program that allows libraries to distribute digital media over the internet. The program is simple to use and can be found through many libraries websites, I use Lancaster County’s.

So, what is it like? The website allows you to browse through different categories of books, non-fiction, sci-fi and fantasy, etc. You can also browse by format, mp3 or WMA, more on this later. You will first need to download and install the Overdrive Media Console. Once that is done you simply browse through your libraries digital library, pick out which book you want, and check out using your library card. Once that is done you download the book into OMC and from there you can listen to your book on your computer, burn it to a cd (for select titles), or transfer it to an mp3 player. As long as you have a current library card you can check out audio-books from any library that uses Overdrive. I like the simplicity of the entire set-up. It is easy to browse through books, download them and transfer them to my player.

This simplicity, however, is also one of the programs downfalls. The websites used by libraries do not allow for very advanced searches. So, if there is a specific book you are looking for it can be difficult to find at times. The other downside to Overdrive is the formats. As I said earlier the audio-books can be found in either mp3 or WMA format. The books that are in WMA format tend to be problematic. When listening to the on my player it will often get “hung-up” require me to either fast-forward or rewind the book to get it playing again. Even more annoying is that it will occasionally stop playing (often accompanied by a loud screech) and go back to the beginning of the section you were just listening to. This may be due it part to the brand of player I use. It is an E-matic (I know, I had never heard of them before either), and is a bare bones player. These problems are limited to the WMA format books, but that leads to another complaint. The number of books in mp3 format is very limited. Lancaster’s library contains 756 titles in WMA format, but only 95 in mp3. Chester is a little better with 250 mp3 titles, but still falls short considering they have 1620 in WMA format.

In the end however, these downfalls are a small price to pay. This program has saved me countless hours of searching through a brick and mortar library. And is a cheap alternative to sites such as Audible and iTunes. While the system may not be perfect, it is more than adequate for what I am looking for, a cheap, easy source for good reading, I mean listening, material.

Books, I found, had the power to make time
stand still, retreat or fly into the future.
~ Jim Bishop ~

related websites:

Lancaster Library: http://lancasterlibraries.lib.overdrive.com
Chester Library: http://overdrive.ccls.org
Overdrive: http://www.overdrive.com