Audio book fans should note that the NH State Library has just found a creative and fair way to offer downloadable audio book service to small libraries like ours. The cost of it, however, makes it necessary for us to determine how much demand there will be for this service. At $500 a year, it would take up over 10% of our total book (all print and audio) budget. Here’s the plan:

  • The State Library has contracted with Overdrive for this service.
  • Files are for MP3 or WMP players, not compatible with iPods (yet.)
  • Here’s Overdrive’s ad. Note that you’ll need FlashPlayer to view it.
  • Audios could be downloaded at home or at the library. Even though the demo says it works with a dial-up connection, we all know better.

If you are interested in seeing this service at the Madison Library, PLEASE let us know. We can present it to voters in next year’s budget, but first we will need to know if there is enough interest to justify the expense.

UPDATE: Fill out an online survey on downloadable audio.

looking for feedback on audio books