AUBURN - As computer-based technology has evolved, a variety of media, from music to books, is available online and in digital formats.

More than a year ago, the Finger Lakes Library System, of which Seymour Library is a member, began to offer books and music online.

Through the system, books are available in a variety of formats from audio books to e-books.

“When they started a year ago,” said Lisa Carr, adult services librarian, “there were about 300 titles. Now I don't even know how many titles there are, but the collection keeps growing and each library can purchase their own titles to offer too.”

While for many, computers and downloading files are routine, Carr said there are many who are just starting to get acquainted with the digital realm.

This prompted her to host an instructional meeting Tuesday evening to give a step-by-step overview of how the program works and the easiest ways to get familiar with the system's inner workings.

Carr said that anyone can go to the Seymour Library website, www.seymourlibrary.org and click on the icon that allows visitors to search the library's catalogue.

At the top of the page will be a tab titled digital downloads. Once this tab is clicked on, visitors will be taken to the page detailing all the available downloadable titles, as well as having the option to search by category or genre or author, much as the real physical library catalogue.

First-time users will need to download and install free software to their computer called the Overdrive Console, which is available on the Seymour Library page.

Once this is installed, visitors can search through literally thousands of different kinds of media, from e-books, which can be downloaded in a PDF format, as well as music.

For Tuesday's presentation, Carr decided to focus on audio books, which have increased in popularity in recent years with people who enjoy listening to novels while at work or in the car.

Through this digital download system, Carr said the whole process is easier.

“From the library point of view we don't have to worry about discs or if they work or get scratched,” Carr said. “For patrons, I think it is the convenience. The library closes at 9, but if you finished your book at 9:30 and want another one for tomorrow you can go right on the computer at 10:30 and have another one for the next day.”

Carr said download times will vary by file size and the speed of the Internet connection. But through the Overdrive software, patrons can choose the parts of the book they want to download, taking the first half one day and the second another or the entire file at once, whatever is most convenient.

Much as a real library, in the virtual format, patrons are limited to three books at a time and titles will be returned for others to download within seven days.

But once a file is downloaded, Carr said it is on the individual's hard drive and they can listen to it at their leisure without worrying about returning it.

Patrons can also save their downloads to devices, such as MP3 players and many titles can be burned to CD for future listening.

With the increasing popularity of audio books, Carr said more libraries are using this format. Once the software is installed, people can even register with the New York Public Library and select titles from their extensive online collection.

Carr said this is available to anyone on their home computer with an Internet connection and all they need is a Seymour Library card to get started.

“This is something anyone can do from home,” Carr said. “We just wanted to provide some of these workshops to walk people through how to get started.”

To learn more

For more information visit www.seymourlibrary.org