I love audio books.  I must have listened to hundreds.  I may be obsessed.  Now the Frisco Public Library and OverDrive have given a new life to my obsession.

I used to pop audio CDs into my car for my commute.  I grabbed handfuls of CDs for long car trips.  I switched out cds in my car at upwards of 70 miles per hour.  No longer.

Thanks to my new iPhone (I am a LATE adopter of technology) I can download books directly to my phone. You read that right.  DIRECTLY to my iPhone.  No computer involved.  I don’t have to download a book to a computer then transfer it into iTunes then sync it to my iPod or iPhone. Who needs that? And who is responsible for this magic?  OverDrive, Inc.  OverDrive is the provider of thousands of downloadable ebooks and audio books for libraries.  The Frisco Public Library has purchased hundreds of titles and keeps adding to this collection.  But I am most excited about the audio books in the MP3 format.  You see, in the MP3 format, I can download directly to my phone using the OverDrive Media Console App (which, naturally, was also free!)

Here's what the OverDrive App looks like.

Oh sure, I could still check out audio books on CD and listen to them at home or in my car.  I could.  But I usually don’t.  In addition to all the audio books on CD, Frisco Library make many more available in PDF and EPUB formats that I could download to my computer and read. Or I could download these formats to an electronic reader like the Barnes and Noble Nook or Sony eReader.  I could even download audio books in the WMA format and transfer to my iPhone or iPod using my computer.  But I am a very simple guy and I like the simplicity of directly downloading audio books in the MP3 format to my iPhone.

Here is how easy it is:  I open the OverDrive Media Console App on my phone.  I touch “Get Books” and off I go.  I can browse the Frisco Public Library holdings in MP3 format.  I find the book I want and I touch “Add to my Digital Cart.”  I touch “Proceed to Checkout” and it asks me for my six-digit library card number.  I am asked to “confirm check out.” Which I do.     I’ve now checked out the book.

Once I touch the button for “Download,” the download process begins automatically.  This might take several minutes.  But when the download is complete, I am ready to go.  These books check out for 2 weeks and I can have seven books downloaded at a time.  I can even place holds on the audio books that are currently checked out to another listener.  I get an email when the book is available and I have 3 days to check it out.

Some of my recent favorites that I have listened to include:

Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow

The Autobiography of Mark Twain

And

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

I am currently on hold for Tale of Two Cities which I have not read since high school.  I can’t wait to re-read it as I walk the dog, do some dishes, fold some laundry or drive to and from work.  Indeed, for me, this is the best of times.

If you are interested in learning how to do this, you can always drop by the library’s Ask Us Desk for some help in person.  Or feel free to visit the website at www.friscolibrary.com.