To be honest, I’m torn. While I dislike Overdrive using requiring their own proprietary software (the console), once its downloaded, installed, and undergone the security upgrade, it’s pretty easy to use to transfer your audiobook to an mp3 player. It’s Netlibrary’s audiobooks that my patrons keep having problems with–they definitely have more problems transferring using Windows Media Player than the Overdrive console. It’s not exactly intuitive software.

Obviously, it would all be much easier if there were no DRM at all, but that seems a bit naive.

As to “Just say no if the software is bad”–For me, it’s more the combination of 8 layers of logins and software and DRM and finding an mp3 player that will play protected WMA files that are as long as audiobook tracks and accurately track time and bookmark them than it is any one piece of software. Getting yourself set up to be able to download an eaudiobook takes a ridiculous amount of preparation–checking your library account is active; creating accounts with Overdrive/NetLibrary/whoever; researching and buying an appropriate mp3 player and prepping it; downloading, installing and upgrading the software for the first time; and then you can finally begin to look for and download your audiobook. It’s a darn lot of work, but I’m not certain how all it could be streamlined unless 1) there were no DRM (I wish), 2) makers of mp3 players began designing with audiobooks in mind, not just music, and 3) libraries or vendors offered the necessary software in some sort of zipped install kit for patrons to download and just double click to run an installation program. Because once it’s there? Not so bad, with the right handouts. All the downloading and setup and signing in and making sure of this and that before you start? Mindboggling.

Our county has done a coordinated order and designed a custom interface for using the service (http://www.suffolkwave.org) which has, I think, really contributed to the ease of use for the patrons. Plus, having a good amount of stuff to choose from – both in number of titles and copies (and well chosen selections) makes the effort worthwhile. And of course, presentation goes a long way.

I guess also contributing to the relative ease I’ve had with it is 1. I don’t use an iPod 2. I’m downloading at home, not from public computers in a library.

Just my 2 cents.

My library’s consortium signed up with Overdrive in July 2006, and has been having these same issues ever since. Here are some of my complaints:

The biggest catch is no iPod compatibility. We did a big marketing push when we first launched the service, and for the next month or so were continually turning away people with iPods, telling them to go buy a cheap mp3 player to use this library service (which I don’t like)
Another issue has been the “single copy” problem. Some of the books in our Overdrive library allow unlimited simultaneous checkouts, whereas others only allow one checkout at a time. The technology is obviously there to allow simultaneous checkouts for all audiobooks, and it is offensive that vendors choose not to
We can’t really help them from the library. The Overdrive software is designed to be single-user, installed on the patron’s home computer. Since patrons cannot install software on our public library computers, we demo’d Overdrive’s library interface. It lets multiple patrons download directly to their mp3 player from a library computer, without worrying about privacy violations. It worked fairly well, and was the only way our Mac patrons, or patrons with dial-up or no internet access at home, could access Overdrive. However, at a license fee of $7500, we could not keep this beyond the demo period. So now, when a patron comes in and says they’re having trouble, or would like us to download a book for them, there’s not much we can do – and I don’t like being in that position
Overdrive has odd purchasing rules. When we buy a title, Overdrive says that the library “owns” it. However, if we stopped our Overdrive service, we can’t take any of those titles with us to a new service. That looks like “renting” to me, which goes back to a previous post about the alarming rise in how much money libraries are spending on renting materials rather than buying

On a positive (?) note, based on our user stats, Overdrive is getting used. It seems that the patrons who were willing to go through the bizzaro setup process, and who really have a need for audiobooks, are willing to adjust to the demands of the software (which, sadly, has also been true for our opacs). As far as the library is concerned, it is pretty hands-off, since patrons are supposed to do everything on their own, from their homes.

But the bottom line is that I have to second Jen’s point – libraries need to take a stand, and not buy into poorly-designed services and software just because it is all that’s available.

I’d rather see my local library increase their audiobook collection instead subscribing to a DRM-handicapped service. At least that way I can import an audiobook to iTunes, return the CDs the very next day, and listen to the files on my iPod at my own leisure. (I don’t share the mp3s and I delete them when I’m done listening to them, but honestly–with the exception of the most recent Harry Potter books–I don’t believe audiobook piracy is a widespread practice).