NetLibrary launches new media center

Connect, click and listen ... it’s that simple

By Brad Gauder and Bob Murphy

OCLC has released the new NetLibrary Media Center, a full-featured desktop application that allows library users to easily search, manage, transfer and listen to eAudiobooks from their local library. The free software application allows users to connect to NetLibrary, and then download and begin listening to eAudiobooks with just one click.

The Media Center combines familiar user functions available from NetLibrary’s Web-based platform to browse, search and check out materials, and adds enhanced features and functionality—such as a full-feature audio player; seamless download to a portable listening device; a new, feature-rich, easy-to-use interface; and desktop access to a library’s entire eAudiobook collection.

“The Media Center represents a significant advance for users of eAudiobooks,” said Chip Nilges, OCLC Vice President, Business Development. “Users can see at a glance the eAudiobooks that are available to them through their local library or consortia. They can manage their accounts in the Media Center, and start listening to an eAudiobook with one click.”

Users can browse eAudiobooks by genre or search by title, author, subject or narrator using Media Center. They can display results in either list view or carousel-style glance view; results include cover images, bibliographic information and other descriptive content.

Media Center lets you listen to titles directly from a laptop or desktop. It also lets you transfer titles to a wide range of supported listening devices, including music players from Archos, Creative Labs,Samsung, Toshiba and other manufacturers. Future enhancements will expand supported devices to include iPods, Zune products and smartphones.

Media Center’s integrated playback controls let you adjust the volume and pause the play, as well as jump from section to section and control the narration pace. A “My Stuff” tab lets you create lists of favorites and organize downloaded titles. And with its title segmentation feature, Media Center makes it easy to navigate within an eAudiobook.

Detailed software and hardware requirements are available on the OCLC Web site.

OCLC Language Sets

Meeting the needs of multicultural communities

A challenge facing many libraries—particularly public libraries—is providing materials for library users in languages other than English. Not only can these materials be difficult and time-consuming to acquire, cataloging and processing them requires specialized staff resources that are often needed for other priorities.

OCLC Language Sets were developed specifically to help libraries provide materials for users whose primary language is not English—and to make it easy for libraries to acquire materials for these users. The service offers educational, informational and entertainment titles in book, video and DVD formats, in 17 languages that are ready to shelve and circulate when shipments arrive.

Libraries can choose between preselected sets or custom collections. With both options, a library receives MARC records for each title it orders and its OCLC symbol is added to the item record in WorldCat. The cataloging is included at no charge and shipping is free for shipments within the U.S.

Language Sets are easy to order—online and via mail or fax. Promotional materials, including bookmarks, posters and customizable press releases, are available at no charge on the OCLC Language Sets Web site.

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