Digital Books
Park Ridge Public Library Digital Audiobooks Collection

Access our new digital collection from home!

What do I need?

  1. A valid Park Ridge Public Library card
  2. A personal computer (not a library computer)
  3. Access to the Internet
  4. The Overdrive Media Console (free download)
  5. Microsoft Windows Media Player version 10 (free download)

How can I use the files?

  • Listen to audiobooks on your computer.
  • Transfer files to a portable device that plays protected wma (Windows Media) files. To see a list of players that support .wma playback, please visit www.playsforsure.com.
  • Burn the files to a standard audio CD and listen in the car.
Getting Started with Digital Audiobooks

The first time you use this service, you’ll need to download programs called the The Overdrive Media Console (free download)and Microsoft Windows Media Player version 10

After you download this small program, the main steps for accessing the audiobooks are:

  1. Search for the audiobooks that you want to checkout
  2. Use your library card number to check out the items
  3. Download the files
  4. Listen on your computer, burn to CD, or transfer to your portable audio player
Detailed instructions for downloading the Digital Audiobooks
  1. Go to http://parkridge.lib.overdrive.com/ to search or browse our Digital Audiobook collection
  2. When you find a book that you wish to check out, click "add to BookBag"
  3. When you’ve added all items to the BookBag that you want to check out, click "Proceed to Checkout"
    NOTE: You may check out up to 10 digital books at a time
  4. Login with your library card
    Choose "Park Ridge" from the drop down list
    Type in your 14 digit barcode number (no spaces)
    Click the "Sign In" button
  5. Click the"Confirm check out" button to get your book.
  6. Once the item is checked out, you can click the "Download" button
  7. Place a check mark next to the parts that you want to download. You can download them all at once, or you can just download a few parts at a time. If you have a dial-up connection, consider downloading only one part at first. You can download other parts later.
  8. Once the file is downloaded, you can click the "Play" button and listen to the book on your computer. You can also burn the files to a CD or transfer them to a portable device.
Burning to a CD

  1. Click the "Transfer/Burn" button on the Overdrive Media Console. This will open Windows Media Player.
  2. Insert a blank CD into the CD Burner
  3. Click the "Burn" tab on the Windows Media Player
  4. Click "Edit Playlist" to choose the files that you want to transfer.
  5. Double click on the "Author’s name", and double click on the "Unknown" folder beneath it.
  6. Choose the file(s) that you want to transfer. The selected files will appear in the window on the right.
  7. Click "OK".
  8. Click "Start Burn". Windows Media Player will burn the file onto the CD
Transferring to a portable device

  1. Click the "Transfer/Burn" button on the Overdrive Media Console. This will open Windows Media Player.
  2. Make sure that your portable device is connected to your computer
  3. Click the"Sync" tab on the Windows Media Player
  4. Click "Edit Playlist" and choose the files that you want to transfer. The files for the Audiobooks will be listed by the author’s name.
  5. Double click on the "Author’s name" and double click on the "Unknown" folder beneath it.
  6. Choose the file(s) that you want to transfer. The selected files will appear in the window on the right.
  7. Click "OK".
  8. Click "Start Synch" Windows Media Player will transfer the file to your portable device.
Frequently Asked Questions

What is the loan period for my digital audiobook?

The item is checked out for 3 weeks.

Do I have to return my digital audiobook?

No, the audiobook will expire in 3 weeks, and will check-in
automatically. The file will remain on your computer, but it
will not be usable unless you checkout the item again. You may
delete the file when you no longer need it.

Can I renew my digital audiobook?

You may check out the audiobook again at the end of the 3 week loan period,
unless someone else is on hold.

Are there any fines or other costs?

No! Since the audiobook will check itself in, there will never be a late charge.
There aren’t any physical items to lose or replace, so you won’t have
to worry about misplacing materials.

Can I return the digital audiobook early?

No, the item will be checked out for 3 weeks.

How do holds work?

You can place a hold on the digital books web site. When the item is
available for checkout, the system will send you an email notification.
If you have not checked out the book within 48 hours of the notification, the
system will cancel your hold and move to the next person on the holds list.

How many Digital audiobooks can I check out?

You may have up to 10 digital books checked out at any one time.
Digital books include Adobe eBooks, Mobipocket eBooks, and
Digital Audiobooks.

How long does it take to download the digital audiobook?

The files for audiobooks are very large. On a broadband connection,
most Digital audiobooks will download in about 210 minutes.
Dial up connections will take considerably longer, usually a couple of hours.
You don’t have to download the whole audiobook at one time.
You can download a few parts to get started, and then download
the other parts later.

Can I transfer the digital audiobooks to my mp3 player in the library?

No, you won’t be able to transfer the digital audiobooks in the library
Most devices need a specific driver to support the transfer.
We can’t maintain device drivers for every mp3 player on the market.

How do I know if these digital audiobooks will work on my mp3 player?

The audiobooks are in wma (Windows Media) format. Many players support
the playback of wma files. If you are looking for a player that supports wma files,
please look at http://www.playsforsure.com for devices that are verified for wma.