By Kathy Pillatzki
Assistant Director
Henry County Library System

  Too busy to read? Need to keep your mind occupied while you work out, clean house or do yard work? Maybe you have a long road trip to face over the holidays and need a way to keep the inmates – I mean, passengers - occupied?

  We have some exciting news for book lovers and book listeners. For several years now, Henry County Library System has subscribed to OverDrive, a service that provides downloadable audiobooks and e-books. Henry County residents with a valid library card can log in though a link on our website and check out audiobooks and e-books from any location with Internet access.

  As soon as it was introduced, OverDrive became one of our most popular and heavily used services. However, many of the titles, though digital, can only be checked out by one person at a time, just like a physical book. Patron demand is so high that there are often waiting lists for the most popular bestsellers.

  Beginning December 1, that product will be supplemented by a new service, One Click Digital. A product of Recorded Books, One Click Digital offers access to more bestsellers, with multiple user access allowed for many books. This means that more than one person can check out an audiobook at the same time, eliminating hold lists for most titles.

  One Click Digital works with both PCs and Macs. Books are playable on all popular listening devices, including iPods. An iPhone app is available, and apps for Droid and Windows 7 are coming soon.

  At this time, One Click Digital is a platform for audiobooks only, but there are plans in the works to add e-books. In the meantime, e-books will still be available to our library users through OverDrive.

  A quick look at the “New Releases” page of the One Click Digital website is like viewing the New York Times bestseller lists. It’s all there, the most popular fiction and nonfiction for adults, teens and children. The collection is searchable by title, author and subject, or you can browse by reading level or genre. 

  Besides the outstanding selection, one of the best features of One Click Digital is the customer support. If you need help navigating the website, downloading books, or technical help with your listening device, support is available directly from Recorded Books. Details will be available through our website when the service goes live on December 1.

  All you’ll need to access this new service is Internet access and a Henry County Public Library card in good standing. More details and specific instructions will be available on our website, www.henry.public.lib.ga.us, beginning December 1. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for reminders and updates!

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