Hello Denise, Below I've pasted two recent posts regarding Overdrive: My brief post gives some information about the Overdrive iphone App and a more detailed post from Esther gives additional Overdrive info and links to past notes..
HTH, Bryan Begin forwarded messages: > In addition to Esther's excellent post, I want to add that you might be able > to avoid some of the hoops by using the latest version of the Overdrive App > which allows patrons of at least some library systems to browse and download > titles directly from the iphone, ipad and i-touch. I am able to perform the > following functions without requiring any interaction with a Mac or PC: > 1. Use the App's button labeled "Get Books Plus" to find my library using a > town or zip code, or by browsing all libraries. > 2. Login to my library's system using my library card number. > 3. Browse iphone-compatible audiobooks, Adobe epub ebooks and public domain > ebooks in my library's collection. > 4. Download available audiobook titles directly to the iphone, ipad or ipod > touch and listen to them in the Overdrive Media App, which is fully VO > accessible. > 5. Place a title on hold if it is currently checked out. You supply your > email address and will be notified when the title becomes available for > checkout. > > My library currently lists a "whopping" 314 iphone-compatible audiobook > titles and 1000 Adobe epub titles. In addition, they have a few thousand of > the public domain ebooks, all of which I'm sure are available for free from > many sources including ibooks and kobo. I tried downloading one of the Adobe > epub books and was prompted for an adobe ID. I didn't bother following that > trail any further so I can't report on the accessibility of the Adobe epub > titles. > > I've pasted a link to the App below. > http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/overdrive-media-console/id366869252?mt=8 > From: Esther <mori...@mac.com> > Date: February 22, 2011 5:54:37 PM EST > To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com > Subject: Re: downloadable audiobooks from public library questions > Reply-To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com > > Hi Christina, > > I think you're referring to downloading audiobooks using the OverDrive Media > Console software. I haven't used this for library downloads for some time > because available titles for download seem to be limited at my library in > recent years due to state budget cuts. I have had more success requesting > audiobook CDs from my library, and ripping those for listening. However, the > process is quite accessible. There are two types of OverDrive Media books > that are carried in downloadable format. The WMA protected formats can only > be downloaded on a Windows computer with the version of OverDrive Media > Console for Windows, and the Windows update to support the copy protection > scheme in effect. Of these, a subset may be transferred to the iPhone or iPod > if the publisher permits it. Some libraries now maintain a separate link for > for iPod-Compatible audiobooks, which includes those WMA titles that can be > transferred to an iPod or iPhone and the MP3 titles that can all be > transferred to an iPod or iPhone, and which all can be downloaded and played > on a Mac, as well as on a Windows PC. > > Before you download an audiobook, you install the OverDrive software (and, in > the case of Windows machines, including installations on a Bootcamp partition > on your Mac, and I believe also through VMWare virtual machines, you may need > to install additional copy protection software). When you check out a > library downloadable audiobook, you download a small file with the name of > the book and a ".odm" extension (which are the initials for "OverDrive > Media"). This file sets the permission to play the book that you borrow for > the fixed period in the OverDrive software. It is specific to your machine, > and you cannot move it (or the audiobook files) to another machine and expect > to play the files. Once you download and open this file, an entry for the > audiobook will appear in the OverDrive Media Console, and you will have > options in a dialog window to download any number of parts. (Although the > files are compressed MP3 files, there will be 1 part for each of the original > CDs). There are menu bar options, and a number of shortcuts for playing and > navigating through the Audiobook using the OverDrive Media Player (a separate > window). This interface is very nice, with options to control playback speed, > set bookmarks, etc. The actual MP3 files gets downloaded into a folder that > is created under the Documents folder of your account: ~/Documents/My > Media/MP3 Audiobooks/ in separate folders named for each book. There will > also be an "OverDrive Welcome" folder created in this location. > > I have always found it easiest just to add the files in these locations to my > iTunes library with the normal Command-O selection. At that point, they > behave just the same way as any other MP3 file in your iTunes library. > You'll want to select them all and use Command-I ("Get Info") to go to the > Options tab, change the "Media Kind" popup button to "Audiobook", and check > the boxes for "Remember Playback Position" and "Skip when Shuffling" to have > these show up as audiobooks. Alternatively, if you use a program such as > Audiobook Builder by Splasm Software, you can join these into one or two > audiobook files with chapter markers, and the software will automatically > make the adjustments for Media Kind, etc. so that the book shows up under > your "Books" library in iTunes and "Audiobooks" on the iPhone. > > I haven't tried adding these audiobooks to an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad > using the OverDrive Console, although I've added such downloads to my iPod > Nano both through the OverDrive Media Console and directly from my iTunes > library. You will not be able to play or transfer the files through the > OverDrive Media Console after the expiration date of your books, and the > software will give a prompt notice to delete the files if you open it after > the expiration date. (Obviously, this doesn't affect the files you > transferred to the iPod or iPhone before this date, if you don't reconnect to > your computer and sync the device. I'm not sure how it works if you use the > OverDrive app for the iPhone, which I've never tried, and which seems to add > an extra level of complexity.) > > I'll point you to an old Mail Archive list post: > "General Instructions on OverDrive downloadable audiobooks" > http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries%40googlegroups.com/msg05166.html > > This gives details on how to run the search and download process through > different library web interfaces, which seemed to be the sticking point for > some users. Note that post is two years old, and there is no links chooser > menu in VoiceOver under Snow Leopard -- just use item chooser menu instead -- > you can press "l i n" first, for a link search. > > HTH. Cheers, > > Esther On Feb 27, 2011, at 2:05 AM, Denise Avant wrote: > hi all, > my library has books through overdrive. i know these books are in protected > WMA format and adobe. but i think some may be unprotected. is it possible to > download these books to my mac in itunes and even transfer them to my iphone? > is there an overdrive app for the iphone similar to audible? thanks. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. 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