NEIBORS
Check out Audio Books from the Library 24/7!
You can now download audio books for iPods!!
What is NEIBORS?
NEIBORS stands for the North Eastern Iowa Bridge to Online
Resource Sharing. Beginning in July 2007, NEIBORS is a collaborative project
among 94 libraries in the Northeastern part of Iowa that provide downloadable
audio books to library users. With the new service, you will be able to
download audio books directly to your computer and from there, play them
directly, transfer them to a compatible mp3 player, or burn them to CDs.
What do you need to use NEIBORS?
To
begin, you will need a Windows PC or Mac computer
to which you can download files.
Next, you will need your library card number which can be found on the front or
back of
your library card. If you do not have a library card, you can get one by coming
to the library (if you are 12 years old or younger you must have a parent come
with you to sign the application). If you just want to listen to the audio book
through your computer, you can get started after this step. However, if you
would like to listen to the audio books away from your computer, you will need
to be able to burn CDs (with blank CDs, a CD Writing drive, and CD Writing
Software) or have a compatible mp3 player or iPod
(a compatibility list is available through the “Supported Portable Audio
Devices” link on the front page of the NEIBORS webpage).
Can I download books to listen to on my iPod?
As of June, 2009, iPods are now compatible with our NEIBORS program! Go
down to collections on the left hand side of the NEIBORS site and find
Collections. Under that is iPod compatible audio books. In addition
to the Overdrive Media Console program, you will also need to have iTunes to use
your iPod with NEIBORS.
How do you get started?
The NEIBORS website itself contains tutorials on how to get started. The
link on the left hand side of the page, "Quick Start Guide" will get you up and
running as fast as possible. However, you may want to take some time and watch
the tutorial shows by clicking on the Guided Tour within the Quick Start Guide. These tutorials will provide much more depth to what you can
do with NEIBORS.
How do I sign in?
To download audio books from NEIBORS, you have to log in with your library
card number. Remember, you can easily get a library card at the library
if you don’t have one now. To sign in, click on the words "Sign in" on the NEIBORS website's menu. On the next page, you will need to choose Independence
from a list of participating libraries in the H-O drop-down list. You will now
need to enter your bar code information in the form P####. You will now be able
to use the NEIBORS services.
Do I need to have special software installed on my
computer?
To use the downloadable audio books, you will need to have several software
programs, all of which are free, on your computer. OverDrive Media Console
is needed for downloading any audio book from NEIBORS. Depending on your
computer and what device, if any, to which you are transferring the audio book,
you may need Windows Media Player and/or iTunes. Zune devices also require
some additional software. The help section of NEIBORS goes through all of
these and explains what you need.
Click here to go to the help section in NEIBORS.
What kind of books are available?
Among the
growing collection are romance, mystery, and classic literature audio books.
Non-fiction titles include biography, humor, business and careers, and more! The
24/7, free access includes audio books from best selling authors like Nora
Roberts, Nicholas Sparks, and James Patterson, in addition to titles from the
classic writers Leo Tolstoy and Edgar Allan Poe.
Where do I get more help?
The
Quick Start Guide and the
Help Section in NEIBORS will probably answer most of your questions.
Also,
If you additional questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact the
library by phone (334-2470), by email (indylib@indytel.com), or in person.
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