1. What is Listen Up! Vermont?

Listen Up! Vermont began in early 2008 as a statewide downloadable audio book endeavor. Patrons can access a statewide shared collection any time of the day by going to http://www.listenupvermont.org; all they need to download an audio book is their library card or patron number.

Listen Up! Vermont is provided by OverDrive‘s Digital Library Reserve service, which allows libraries to circulate — that is, to check out and “return” — digital works. This is done through Digital Rights Management, or DRM. OverDrive’s service is different than consumer-based services like Audible, which allows only one download of an item, and the DRM prevents the sharing of a file across multiple users.

For more general information, see our Listen Up! Vermont informational page.

2. How does Listen Up! Vermont work?

Listen Up! Vermont works just like your physical library. The majority of the collection is on the “one copy, one user” model, just like your library. If a title is in high demand, the Listen Up! collection needs to purchase additional copies, just as your library would; if a title is out, patrons can place that title on hold. For some people, this is a difficult leap to make — we all know the digital file is there. However, this is the model that OverDrive and the publishers have agreed upon, in order to make works available digitally and preserve the rights and commercial interests of the publishers and authors.

A portion of our audiobook collection is “Always Available” — meaning they do not fall into the “one copy, one user” model. Any number of people may have one of these titles checked out at any given time. We have a similar model in place with our e-books and these are referred to as our Project Gutenberg titles.

3. What do my patrons need?

DOWNLOADABLE AUDIOBOOKS

All patrons will browse and download directly at the Listen Up! Vermont site. Some libraries choose to download the MARC records for the titles into their catalogs, letting patrons know in the search process what is available in the collection. A link in the MARC record will take them directly to the web site.

PC – Patrons using a PC will need to download the PC version of the OverDrive Media Console. This piece of software facilitates a patron’s check in and check out process, and manages the download and transfer of titles. Downloading the OMC only needs to be done once (on each computer a patron might be using), and can be the most time-consuming step. Make sure to give your patrons the assurance that it is much quicker the second time!

Once the OMC is downloaded, patrons will need to decide whether they are going to listen to the title on their computer, burn the title to cd, or transfer to a compatible device. Patrons with a PC and a compatible device may download and transfer mp3 titles.

Mac — Patrons using a Mac will need to download the Mac version of the OverDrive Media Console. This piece of software facilitates a patron’s check in and check out process, and manages the download and transfer of titles. Downloading the OMC only needs to be done once on each computer a patron might be using.

Once the OMC is downloaded, patrons will need to decide whether they are going to listen to the title on their computer, burn the title to cd, or transfer to a compatible device. Patrons with a Mac and a compatible device may download and transfer mp3 titles.

Audiobooks may be directly downloaded to portable devices such as a an iPhone or a Andriod. For a complete list of compatible devices, click here

DOWNLOADABLE E-BOOKS

Note-  The software needed for e-books works the same for both a Mac and a PC.

Patrons will need to download Adobe Digital Edtions. This piece of software facilitates a patron’s check in and check out process, and manages the download and transfer of titles. Downloading ADE only needs to be done once on each computer a patron might be using.

Once ADE is downloaded, patrons will need to decide whether they are going to read the title on their computer or transfer to a compatible device. Once this software is installed and registered with an Adobe ID, patrons may transfer both PDF and EPUB e-books to an e-reader.

AUDIOBOOKS

The DRM agreements do not allow patrons to return audio books early. Our collection is currently set for the shortest allowable circulation period — 7 days.

Once the 7 days is up, the file on the computer will become unusable. You will have to manually delete it from your computer using the OverDrive Media Console (alternately, you can keep a list of what you’ve checked out by leaving the title in the OMC). However, the titles remain usable on the burned cds or transferred onto your compatible device — they do not expire after 7 days. You will have to rewrite over the cd or delete the title manually off your compatible device when you are finished.

E-BOOKS

You can either wait for the item to expire or you can check it in early using Adobe Digital Editions. 

5. How many titles can a patron have out at once?

Currently, patrons can have three items of any type checked out at one time.

6. How can I be sure I can pick up a book I have on hold?

Holds are held to pick up for three days; unfortunately, OverDrive does not give you an idea of when a book might be ready. You can see how far down the queue you are when placing a hold (ie, a note on the detail page of the title will say # of patron(s) on waiting list); if the number is 0, you will be next, with the hold becoming available within the week.

Encourage patrons to use the wishlist feature to keep track of what they would like to read, rather than filling up their holds queue and running the risk of having a hold become available when they cannot pick it up.

For the answers to more questions, including troubleshooting questions, please see http://vtaudiobooks.blogspot.com/search/label/faq. Please note that when we began the service, OverDrive did not offer any iPod-compatible titles, and that has since changed.