Thing #10: eAudioBooks

I'm tickled that the netlibrary eAudioBooks is one of the 23 Things if only because I just had the eAudioBooks training here a couple of weeks ago. So this gave me the chance to practice those skills again, while the training was still fresh in my mind.

Admittedly, I've had a hard time with netlibrary in the past--simply logging in, or showing patrons how to log in, has been frustrating. Of course, it might have helped if I'd practiced that a bit, but rare is the time I've been asked how to access an eBook. I'm thinking, though, that the eAudioBooks are going to become very popular as mp3 technology spreads and becomes even more pervasive. With that being said, it is extremely unfortunate that netlibrary cannot support iPods because of the DRM protection needed for the eAudioBooks. I sincerely hope they can find a solution around this--iPods and now iPhones are everywhere, and I will hate having to explain to an enthusiastic patron that yes, we have eAudioBooks to download, but no, they can't play them on the most popular mp3 player in the world.

I was surprised by the available titles list--I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting, but I found it interesting that the majority were mystery/suspense and popular reading, whereas there was a mere 1 title listed as nonfiction. However, I'm sure the collection will continue to grow as the technology blooms and becomes more integrated into LibraryLand--like video, dvd, cd's, and databases all once had to do.

If I had a regular player, this is something I'd probably give a go at somepoint, particularly for nonfiction titles. Alas, I have an iPod Shuffle, so I lose out two ways there, lol. Like I said, I'm sure the companies will eventually catch up with the culture and technology.