New Jersey State Library

Basics | Getting Started | Searching | Check out | Downloading | Playing | Burning | Transferring | Troubleshooting

Downloadable Audio Books

Over 900 audio books are available for State Library authorized users to download to their personal PC, laptop, or PDA. Books may be transferred to windows-based MP3 players and some books may be burned to CDs.

Select from popular fiction and nonfiction: biographies; mystery, suspense and thrillers; romance; self improvement, business; history; children's literature and more!

All that's needed is your State Library card. Books may be selected and downloaded from any computer that is connected to the Internet. However, they cannot be downloaded to the Library's public computers.

The Basics:

• You do not need to come to the Library to either select or return a digital audio book. Everything is done by computer.
• You may check-out up to three digital audio books at one time.
• The loan period is 2 weeks. When the loan period is over the file expires and the material is automatically checked back in.
• You may put Items on reserve. When the requested title is available you will be sent an e-mail . You will have three days to download your reserved audio book, otherwise it will go to the next customer waiting for it.

Getting Started:

To access digital books at ListenNJ you will need:

• A valid State Library card for our authorized user group (state employees and TESC staff, students and mentors.)
• Access to the Internet.
• Free software for the device or computer on which you wish to use the materials you download from ListenNJ. The software is downloadable from the ListenNJ site, under "Software Downloads."

Clicking on the OverDrive Audio Books link under Software Downloads will take you to a page with information on system requirements and instructions on how to download the OverDrive Media Console software, Windows Media Player, and the Windows Media Player security upgrade.

You will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher on your computer and the first time it attempts to play a copyrighted file, it will alert you that a Security Upgrade must be performed. This is a one time process that identifies the copy of Windows Media Player with the computer on which the Player is being used.

Please note: you may download and enjoy audio books at home, at work, or when you travel, but you cannot download them to the Library's public computers.

Searching for Books:

• You may search for audio books by author, title or both and limit what you retrieve only to titles that are currently available, i.e. checked in and ready for download.
• Advanced Search provides additional search options.
• You may browse fiction and nonfiction by broad categories.
• You may browse for books that are Always Available, Recently Added, Classics, or in the Try These category.

• If you decide to Browse a category, you may sort all of the results by clicking on title, author, published date, most popular, or date added to the site at the top of the column as shown below:

• Select your book by clicking on add to cart for the title you want.
• Your cart will then be displayed.
• To select another book click on Continue Browsing or if you are finished, click on Proceed to Checkout.

Proceeding to Check Out:

• You will need to login to your audiobook account.
• Select New Jersey State Library in the first drop down box.
• Type in your complete library card number.
• Click on Login.
• The Check Out screen tells you how many other books you currently have checked out and asks you to confirm check out.
• When you click on the Confirm check out button, the book is checked out to you and you may download your selection.

Downloading Your Audio Book:

• Click on the Download button for your audio book after checking the title out.

• The OverDrive Media Console will open and prompt you for a download location for your audio files. Click OK to save the files to the default location.

The Windows Media Player Security Upgrade

• First time OverDrive users will be prompted for the security upgrade mentioned above under "Getting Started." Click OK .

• Cancel the download.
• Click on Tools on the titlebar of the OverDrive Media Console.

• Click OK.
• Answer Yes to Allow Windows Media Player to download the security upgrade.
• Then click Play to learn whether the download was successful.
• Once you have backed up your license you are ready to download your audio book.
• Go back to the ListenNJ screen with your selected title and click on the Download button again.
• Select the parts you want to download and click OK. Depending on the file size and the number of parts to be downloaded, you may have to wait several minutes.

How to Play and Navigate a Book:

• Highlight the title you'd like to hear in the OverDrive Media Console and click the Play button.

• OverDrive Media Explorer opens and begins playing the book.
• Use the On Screen Navigation of the Media Explorer to jump to specific sections. Click on the part of the book you would like to hear under Parts.

How to Burn an Audio Book to CD:

• In OverDrive Media Console, highlight a book and click the Transfer/burn button.
• Windows Media Player opens. Click the Copy to CD or Device button.
• Select the track(s) to be burned to CD by checking the box next to the track name.
• Place a blank CDR in your CD-ROM drive and ensure that your CD drive is selected in the right hand pane of Windows Media Player.
• Click the Copy button in the upper right hand corner of Windows Media Player to add the track(s) to the list of files to be burned to disk. Windows Media Player will inspect, convert, and temporarily copy the file in preparation for burning. This process may take a few minutes. You may track the Player's progress by monitoring the Status field in Windows Media Player.

• When the disk is complete, Windows Media Player will eject the disk and the status field will indicate Complete.

Some titles cannot be burned to a CD because of copyright restrictions. To learn whether a particular CD can be burned or not:

• Click on the image of the book in your results list (do not click on add to cart )
• Scroll down to the bottom of the book description to Digital Rights Information.

• Restrictions on the use of this title will be displayed.

How to Transfer an Audio Book to a Portable Device:

Check here for a list of compatible devices .

• In OverDrive Media Console, highlight a book and click the Transfer/burn button.
• Windows Media Player opens. Click the Copy to CD or Device button.
• Select the track(s) to be transferred by checking the box next to the track name.
• Connect your portable media device and ensure that it is selected in the right hand pane of Windows Media Player.
• Click the Copy button in the upper right hand corner of Windows Media Player to copy the track(s) to the portable device. Windows Media Player will inspect and copy the file(s) to the device. This process should take less than a minute, depending on how many files you transfer. You may track the Player's progress by monitoring the Status field in Windows Media Player.
  

• When the transfer is complete, the status field in Windows Media Player will indicate Complete.

Troubleshooting:

Need Help? Here are some troubleshooting tips from ListenNJ.

Additional error messages when downloading:

• The most common problem when attempting to download a book is your computer's firewall, if you have one.
  • If you are running Norton Internet Security you will need to set up a rule to allow it to accept downloads from OverDrive.
  • Check your Windows XP firewall.
• "When I tried to download the digital audio book the error message said I needed an Internet connection."
• Your firewall may be blocking the download. You must configure your firewall to permit the OverDrive Media Console to access the Internet. If you have Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall, you can use these directions to configure it to permit the OverDrive Media Console to access the Internet.
• Check Windows Media Player's connection. To do so, open the Windows Media Player, go to Tools > Options . Under Player Settings select the option that says Connect to the Internet.
• Need more information? Have a question not covered on this page or on the troubleshooting tips from ListenNJ? During library hours, please call Reference Services at 609-292-6220 or email. When emailing please send as much information as possible:
  • Your operating system and the browser you are using.
  • Do you have a firewall?
  • Steps to replicate the problem.
  • Screen shots would be helpful.
  • Exact text of error message.
  • Anything else you can think of that might be helpful.