More than 100 MP3 titles are now available.
These titles, which can be downloaded and transferred to iPods®, can be found in several ways:
they are marked with “MP3” on search results lists
a separate “featured” section on the WILBOR home page
shows MP3 titles
an advanced search: leave all fields blank, except for “format,” and select “Overdrive MP3 audiobook”
Those who have been downloading and listening to wma formatted books can also download MP3 titles; they should be compatible with non-Apple devices, also.
The publishers determine what is available in MP3 format. Many publishers have exclusive contracts with other providers who sell the books in MP3 format so you will not see bestseller titles—at least, not yet. Overdrive continues to negotiate with publishers and as contracts are re-negotiated we expect to see more titles available.
The collection of MP3 titles will continue to grow as we purchase more titles; we will continue to purchase in wma format, as well. Current titles in wma format will still NOT be compatible with iPods®; they will remain in wma format.
We are hopeful that a Maximum Access subscription (“always available”) will soon be available for MP3 titles. Overdrive has had many requests for that and are working on that possibility.
Patrons who download an MP3 title will have an extra step: because this format does not have DRM attached they will be accepting an End User Agreement each time they download an MP3 title.
The MP3 format is compatible with iPods®, but patrons with Shuffles won’t use the Media Console. The MP3 titles can be transferred to the Shuffle, it is just a different process. (See the Overdrive “compatible devices” page for more information. Testers have successfully transferred MP3 titles from WILBOR to a classic iPod®, a first generation Touch, a new generation Touch, and a Shuffle.) Overdrive Media Console is not yet compatible with the Mac operating system but we expect that the first of the year.
