More on Digital Audio Books
So I paid the public library a visit again today and discovered at in addition to offering digital audiobooks via Overdrive. (which I talked about in an earlier post) Patrons can also check out digital audio books from Audible that have been downloaded on the library’s MP3 players. The problem is that there are only three players that can be checked out and they won’t put stuff on your player if you bring it to them. Drats!
Sherri at schwagbag points out an article from Reuters detailing the fact that the NYPL is offering digital audio books from Overdrive as well. The stinky thing is that the files will play on almost any player except an iPod. Its the DRM nightmare raising its ugly head a making us all miserable again. Please oh please can’t libraries cut a better deal with Audible which supports many more players? Sherri also points out people working open source DRM alternatives. Hopefully a solution will come sooner rather than later. In the meantime, part of me is more what slightly peeved that I can’t use my nifty iPod to play listen to these things. I guess I’ll just have to be happy with the podcasts I’m downloading.
Acutally, ListenOhio (http://www.listenohio.org/) and ListenIllinois (http://www.listenillinois.org/) have been trying to negotiate with Audible for downloads to patron players for a year-and-a-half with zero results to date. Not even patron-initiated downloads from home, mind you, but just staff downloading titles to patron players within the library. They’re so afraid they will cannibalize their consumer sales that they have been dragging their feet and stalling us with no end in sight.
So it’s not that we’re not trying. I guess the answer to your question is no, libraries can’t cut a better deal with Audible. At least, not until Audible pulls its head out of the sand. Hopefully that time will come before they completely marginalize themselves out of the audio ebook market.