My loacl library isn't much better but here is a solution of sorts.
INFO
The Free Philadelphia Library -- Available to city residents (free), anyone 65 or older (free), residents anywhere in PA with "Access Pennsylvania" library cards (free), and non-residents ($15)
Online Registration
DOWNLOADS: audio books, e-books, music, movies, plus.
Downloads Download Sampler
Currently I am listening to "
Master and Commander" by Patrick O'Brian.
I transfer the audiobooks to a Sansa Clip Plus using Overdrive (the lending mechanism the most, if not all, use. They will tell you that you have 10 days to listen. But once it is on a "dumb" mp3 player "it just don't know". Listen as long as it takes.
I have a double ended cord that I plug into my mp3 headphone jack, and then into the car sterio system. I do a fair (
sometimes a lot) amount of driving.
P.S. - Online registration was VERY simple (but then again, I'm in PA). I got my card over the weekend, and started downloading.
Even if you can't get it free, $15 is VERY cheap to get the thousands of dowloads that are available.
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Library
ebook downloads to a Kindle can be a problem.
But there is good news for
audiobook downloads to Kindle.
It takes a bit of looking, but I found this:
Can I transfer Adobe eBooks to an AmazonŽ Kindle?
No. The Amazon Kindle does not currently support eBooks protected with Adobe DRM.
To get it in the Kindle would take a bit of jumping through hoops. Download and de-DRM the book, before you can read it.
Now if you want to read books on the computer it's no problem, just not simple on the Kindle.
On the other hand - If you want to download audiobooks and put them into a mp3 player
or on the Kindle -
Using My Kindle as an MP3 Player
"But then I learned the secret. If I upload my MP3 into the Audible folder I have the option to fast forward, pause, rewind, etc. just like on an MP3 player. Yooo Hooo!"
And ofcourse you can download movies, music, etc.