Right now you can check out digital content in the form of e-books, downloadable audio books, downloadable videos and downloadable music titles from the STLS Digital Catalog to a variety of tablets, PCs, smart phones, e-readers and Macs.
And also right now the content you can check out to specific devices varies as does the process you use to check out those items.
For example, you can read library e-books on almost any e-reader, tablet, Smartphone, PC or Mac.
However, you can only watch videos on PCs and a handful of less-than-well-known portable devices but not on your iPad, Smartphone or Android tablet.
And you can download free library audio books to your Smartphone or tablet directly but only the ones that are in the MP3 format. OverDrive audio books that are WMA formatted have to be downloaded to a computer first and then you can transfer them to you Smartphone or tablet – but you can’t download them to a Mac because the “WMA” stands for Windows Media Audio and it is a Microsoft software which won’t open on an Apple computer – but you can transfer a WMA audio book to an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch if you first download it to a PC.
Did I mention all of this can be very confusing!
However, if you are interested in checking out digital content and have questions please ask the library staff! A member of our tech team will even be happy to sit down with you and go over the entire process step by step.
But I digress; back to the subject of streaming content!
If you’re streaming content, and the word streaming is fancy tech speak that simply means you open a web browser of your choice (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome etc.) and the e-book or other e-formatted item you open is sent from the server on which it is stored to your device so you can read the book, watch the movie or listen to the audio book or album. And with this new streaming process you won’t actually be downloading anything so there won’t be a cumbersome registration and set up process, you won’t have to authorize your device before you can check out content nor will the process for accessing the content be different by device – you’ll be able to read your library e-book, watch your library e-videos or listen to library e-audios by opening the web browser on your tablet, PC, Mac, Smartphone and even XBOX and Wii!
So the fact that this new second generation library e-content software, officially called the Next Generation Library Platform (managed by the library e-content vendor OverDrive) is coming is very exciting because it will make the process of accessing digital content from the STLS Digital Catalog a very easy and user friendly one!
And as soon as the updated platform is available we’ll loudly proclaim that fact via this blog, the library’s website and our Facebook page.
Have a great day!
Linda R
And here are links to two cool, and short, news stories offered by OverDrive regarding the new cool features coming to the Library Digital Content vendor’s platform soon!
The first story relays the fact that you’ll soon be able to read e-books, watch library e-videos and listen to library e-audios on your TV via your gaming console and the second offers information on the platform upgrade which will allow you stream content instead of having to download it:
Library E-Books Coming to Gaming Consoles:
http://overdriveblogs.com/library/2013/01/24/library-ebooks-are-coming-to-game-consoles/
OverDrive The Next Generation Digital Library Platform
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 