E-Audiobooks
Maplewood Library now offers Downloadable Audiobooks from NetLibrary, thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Maplewood Library.  One of our favorite audiobook producers, Recorded Books, provides digital versions of the latest bestsellers, book club favorites, award winning authors and more.  You can download books and listen using your home computer or portable listening device.  

Downloadable E-Audiobooks can be played on any desktop or portable device supporting Windows Media Player version 9.0 and above.   You can also transfer your favorite titles to a wide range of portable devices, including portable music players, portable media centers, Pocket PCs, and even select smartphone devices.  E-Audiobooks are not, however, compatible with iPods and Macintosh computers.

View a demo
Create a Netlibrary account
Using Netlibrary E-Audiobooks
List of supported MP3 players
NetLibrary E-Books
Help with E-Audiobooks

Creating an Account

You can search and browse for audiobooks and listen to previews in the  library. However, to download and listen to audiobooks, you must first create a free NetLibrary account. (You’ll be prompted to do so, when you try to check out an audiobook.)

1. Click here to create an account.  If you are using the Internet from a library computer, you will be passed straight through to the NetLibrary webpage.  If you are using your own computer, you will first be asked to verify your credentials as a Maplewood Library member by entering the barcode and PIN for your library account.

2. Once at the Netlibrary homepage, click on "Create a Free Account"  at the upper right hand area of the page.  Follow the directions to create a NetLibrary account, with the username and password of your choice.

3. Select the submit button.

Once you have set up your NetLibrary  account the first time, you can go directly to www.netlibrary.org and use your NetLibrary account from any computer.  You will not have to re-enter your library barcode and PIN.

Using NetLibrary E-Audiobooks

Logging in

Once you have created an account, you can log in to our library’s E-Audiobook collection from any computer with Internet access.

1. Go to www.netlibrary.org and enter your user name and password in the log in box.
2. Click the red log in button.
3. You now have access to all audiobooks available in our library’s collection.

You can also search for E-Audiobook titles in the library catalog, and log in from there if you prefer.

Searching for an E-Audiobook

E-Audiobooks are listed in the library's catalog, and can be searched like any other library item. (A keyword search for "netlibrary" will bring up all the E-Audiobook records in the catalog.)  You can also search our E-Audiobook collection by going to the homepage for NetLibrary, www.netlibrary.com..  You can do a basic search for authors, title, or keywords, or an advanced search with multiple search criteria.  

Checking out an E-Audiobook

The checkout period for a downloadable audiobook is three weeks. You may check out a maximum of ten E-Audiobook titles at one time. Please do not download audiobooks to public computers in in library--they are intended for use with your home computer.  

1. From search results, click on the " Download this Audiobook" link to Open or Save the audiobook file.

2. Select a download option: CD quality, or radio quality. Radio quality provides faster download speed and is ideal for users with dial-up connections; CD quality offers high fidelity playback for patrons with high-speed Internet access. It is necessary to use the CD quality download if you wish to transfer the audiobook to a portable device.

3. If you select Open, NetLibrary will download the title and launch your media player. Click the Play button to listen to the audiobook. The Save option allows you to download the file to a directory of your choosing. Once the download is complete, you can open the audiobook directly from your media player, or by using Windows Explorer.

E-Audiobooks cannot be returned early--their loan period is 21 days.  After this time, their license expires and they cannot be played unless they are renewed (see below).  You will need to manually delete the file from your computer and MP3 player.

Renewing an E-Audiobook

Once an audiobook has been downloaded, it can be renewed at any time.

1. Go to www.netlibrary.org and enter your user name and password in the log in box.
2. Click on the "Checked out Items" link.
3. Click on "Renew this Audiobook"

If you are attempting to access an audiobook with an expired license from your media player, NetLibrary will launch a pop-up browser that will prompt you to log in to renew your checkout.

1. Enter your user name and password.
2. Click the log in button.
3. Your license will automatically be renewed.
4. Click play to listen to the audiobook.

Transferring an E-Audiobook to a Portable Device

E-Audiobooks can be transferred to a wide range of portable listening devices for offline use. If you want to transfer your audiobook to a portable device you MUST open the audiobook file and obtain a license before transferring the file. Use Windows Media Player to copy the eudiobook file to a device. Follow the appropriate transfer process depending on the version of Windows Media Player that you have installed (version 9 or version 10).  NetLibrary e-audiobooks cannot be burned to cd.

Transferring an E-Audiobook using Windows Media Player version 9

1. Find your CD Quality downloaded audiobook file and double click it to open it with Windows Media Player. Windows Media Player opens and will obtain the license from NetLibrary to allow the audiobook file to play.

2. Select Copy to CD or Device from the media player's menu options. A list of available titles will be displayed in the Items to Copy frame.

3. Select the title you wish to download by clicking on the check box.

4. Select a target device from the Items on Device drop-down menu. Click on the copy button to transfer the title.

5. Windows Media Player will transfer the file to your portable device. When the transfer is complete, disconnect your portable device and enjoy your NetLibrary audiobook.

NOTE: Some MP3 players will need to use the Safely Remove Hardware icon (on the taskbar) before removing the USB cable or an error will occur.

Transferring an E-Audiobook using Windows Media Player version 10

1. Find your CD Quality downloaded audiobook file and double click it to open it with Windows Media Player. Windows Media Player opens and will obtain the license from NetLibrary to allow the audiobook file to play.

2. You may stop playback at this point if you choose. Click the 'Library' tab. The media Library will be displayed.

3. Find your audiobook in the Library Playlist pane, or sort your list by selecting the 'Now Playing' selection.

4. Drag the audiobook title from the Contents or Details panes in your library to the List pane to add it to the list of items to be synchronized, ensure that your portable device is connected and click the 'Start Sync' button in the List pane. Windows Media Player will transfer the file to your portable device.

5. When the transfer is complete, the status field will indicate 'Complete'. You many now disconnect your portable device and enjoy your NetLibrary audiobook.

NOTE: Some MP3 players will need to use the Safely Remove Hardware icon (on the taskbar) before removing the USB cable or an error will occur.

NetLibrary e-Books

Your NetLibrary account also provides you with access to over 3,400 e-Books which can be read online.  When logged into NetLibrary, click on the link at the right hand side for "Publicly-Accessible eBooks."

Finding help

When using NetLibrary, detailed information is available by clicking on the " Help" tab in the top navigation bar. Context-sensitive help is also available by clicking on the "tips" links located on NetLibrary search, details and download pages. For additional assistance, contact Maplewood Library at 973-762-1622 or contact NetLibrary directly at 800-848-5800 and choose option 7.