When contemplating the fluff comprising my summer reading list this year, I decided to avoid eyestrain and test out the King County Library System's new audio-book feature, which allows patrons to download an audio book online, without even visiting the library.

Right off the bat I ran into a couple of snags because the system isn't compatible with Apple products — we're a Mac household. The audio-book files are stored in the Windows Media Audio (WMA) format, not compatible with a Mac or iPod. You'll need a PC with a newer version of the Windows operating system.

Undeterred by these setbacks, I borrowed my sister's PC. I wanted to be able to play the book on a portable MP3 player, so I checked the library's list of approved portable audio devices, and bought the cheapest compatible player I could find: the 128 MB Creative MuVo TX FM, priced at $60. (If considering purchasing a new player for this purpose, make sure to check the Web site's list of approved devices.)

I found the audio-book section from a link off the library home page, www.kcls.org. (The link is marked eBooks-audio.) But before gaining access to its titles, I was presented with a choice between two listening options: OverDrive or Recorded Books. The two choices represent different systems that generally do the same thing, but are backed by different outsourced companies.

Each option uses its own software and has its own book catalog. There are also subtle differences in process and features. With help from a handy comparison chart, I proceeded to the Recorded Books area because it supports unlimited copies — I wanted to avoid the risk of my title already being checked out.

At first I thought the search was broken, but after several more attempts I realized my lack of success was due to a limited number of titles. At the time of my visit, there were 815 books in the Recorded Books catalog (it's now up to 867). This is probably a lot for an audio-book collection, but is small when you're accustomed to searching the full library catalog.

In the end, I opted to look at the entire list of 815 items. I used various sorting methods to browse the content and zero in on specific titles. One other hitch I encountered was due to the limited capacity of my 128 MB portable audio player; most of the titles that caught my eye required more space.

Downloading and transferring my selection was the simplest part of the process. Much credit goes to my broadband connection; I don't know if I would've had the patience to sit through the process via dial-up. After only a few minutes, I was listening to the opening lines of my French language audio-book. I kept my book for the permitted 21 days. When the time was up, a painless renewal process didn't even require me to revisit the library Web site.

If you're looking for a broad selection of contemporary fiction or new best-selling titles, this isn't the place to go — at least not now. The system works well, but the small catalog and limited platform compatibility signal the program is still in its infancy. I'm looking forward to tracking improvements.

In the meantime, I suppose it isn't a bad thing that I'll spend the summer learning French instead of indulging in chick lit.

amyarnold@seattletimes.com