LIBRARIES OFFERING BOOKS VIA THE WEBAUDIOBOOKS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOADING, BUT MAC, IPOD USERS ARE OUT OF LUCK

Now hear this.

Libraries in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties are allowing patrons to

download audiobooks from their Web sites -- for free.

With a library card and a personal computer, books can be downloaded in a

matter of minutes and transferred to a portable listening device for easy

transport around the house, on the trail or in a car.

The program is yet another sign of how libraries are changing to try to

stay connected with an increasingly wired audience.

''I think it's changing the idea of what a library is,'' said Nancy

Sampson, a reference librarian at Santa Rosa's central branch who is

overseeing the audiobook program.

But as with any new technology, the audiobook service includes technical

glitches that may leave many library patrons frustrated.

Macintosh users in particular will be disappointed to learn that they

cannot use the new service at all.

This means that iPod owners -- who represent a huge share of the MP3 market

-- won't be able to store books on the popular devices.

''We're getting a lot of comments about that,'' said Sampson. ''People who

have Macs want to download but they can't.''

Blame that on the ongoing turf battle between Microsoft Corp. and

Cupertino-based Apple.

OverDrive Inc., the company that provides the audiobook service for the

North Coast libraries, uses technology from Microsoft.

Because the software is not compatible with Apple products, Mac and iPod

users will still have to get books the old-fashioned way.

''It's not the libraries' fault at all. It's a big, ugly digital rights

mess between Apple, Windows and the provider of the content,'' said Michael

Stephens, an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Library and

Information Science at Dominican University.

Stephens, who writes a technology blog called Tame the Web, said audiobooks

are among many new products libraries are using to reconnect with a

21st-century clientele.

Wikis, Podcasts, instant messaging and other social networking services

have turned many libraries into virtual reading rooms.

''It really, truly is an extension of the mission of what libraries are

there for -- to get information into the hands of people who need it or want

it,'' Stephens said.

Others, however, express a nostalgia for the days when card catalogs

contained the secrets to the book-filled aisles.

''There is a bit of resistance when we come on so strong about

technology,'' Stephens said. ''People think books aren't important, but books

are always going to be in libraries.''

Or in the case of the audiobook program, in the ears of listeners.

Library patrons in the three North Bay counties have access to about 800

titles, with another 500 expected to come online by year's end.

The system requires at a minimum Windows 98 and Windows Media 9.0. Patrons

also have to download software from Cleveland-based OverDrive.

Information about the new service is available at

http://downloads.sonomalibrary.org.

Sampson said the Sonoma County Library spent an initial $25,000 for the

program. The annual cost is expected to be $5,000. Lake and Mendocino

libraries are contributing to that amount.

A list of the top 10 titles downloaded so far in the three counties reveals

an array of tastes.

In Sonoma County, books that teach Spanish have proven popular, while in

Lake and Mendocino counties, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a

favorite among fiction titles.

Alas, some of the more popular titles, including the Harry Potter series,

are not available because of licensing issues.

Some audiobooks can be burned onto CDs. Most, however, automatically erase

after seven days. That includes books that are put onto MP3 players or other

listening devices, according to Sampson.

She said the delete function was a requirement from book publishers in

order to make the title available for download.

Patrons can have three audiobooks ''checked out'' in any given seven-day

period.

Some may have to wait in a virtual line for a title to become available as

the program allows for only one download per copy.

Holds can be placed, however, and Sampson said the library is considering

upgrading the service so that there is no limit on how many copies of a

particular title are available.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek J. Moore at 521-5336 or

derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com.