Audiobooks
From LIS 460 Summer 2007
Contents |
Audio Books
Audio Books have been in existence for over 20 years, and are becoming increasingly more popular with the ipod/MP3 generation. An audio book is exactly what it sounds like, a book that has been recorded to be listened to. It may have been read by the author, dramatically by an actor, or produced by a full cast of dramatic readers [1]
Not only are there the more traditional casette and CD versions, now there are Digital audio books, and playaways.
Why Audio Books?
-Excellent tool for the Auditory Learner
-Audio Books provide reinforcement between hearing words and seeing words in print.
-An early reader is assisted with audio books in sounding out unfamiliar words.
-An ESL Student can hear how new English words sound and where the inflection is.
-Audio books are a helpful format for struggling readers, Audio Books can help with fluency and comprehension skills
-Listening to Audio Books is an enjoyable way experience good literature, especially above a student's independent reading level. As with reading aloud, the listener hears longer sentence structures, and expands his/her vocabulary.
-If listening to Audio books is done as a family experience it can open up discussions.
Other Audio Book Formats
Downloadable Audio Books: Also called Digital Audio books, are popular in that they use the MP3 technology. One distributer is Audible [2] which offers over 35,000 titles (2,000 Kids and YA titles). Software is downloaded, or Itunes is used to set up an account, and titles are purchased. This technology has the ability to bookmark "pages" so that the reader can stop and start without worry of loosing their spot in the book.
Another well known distributor of digital audio books is Overdrive Audio [3] This company has been in business since 1986 and their product is found in most larger libraries. They have over 100,000 audio, e-books, video and music videos. The downside to this line is that the patron must download a piece of software to their computer (free) before downloading the audiobook. This is a one time requirement, but already the patron is put off. These audio books do not run on an I-Pod, which is another difficulty as Apple owns the MP3 market. Patrons then download their digital titles to their computer, and from there, it can be transferred to compatible devices, such as MP3 players, laptops, Pocket PCs, and Palm OS devices. Audio titles may be burned to CD and played in the car. (Transfer and burn permissions vary by title.) A CD can then be uploaded to an I-Pod, but it adds several steps, and by then the patron is long gone.
When borrowing a digital audio book from the library, the borrower downloads the book, either listens on an MP3 or burns it to a CD and after the borrowing period, the book automatically disappears from their MP3 player. Here is an article about their use in public libraries [4]
Disadvantages: Not all students may have an MP3 player, in which case, burning to a CD becomes necessary or having MP3 players available for borrowing. This has been the solution for many school libraries. Students check out the MP3 player at the same time as downloading the audio book.
Playaways: A small( 3 1/2" x 2"),self contained book in an I-pod looking device that is ready for immediate use. Each Playaway is preloaded with an audiobook, a set of batteries, and a set of earbuds. It looks cool, is compact, reads at 3 speeds, bookmarks pages, and can skip forward and backward between chapters, or in 15 second increments (if one looses focus). Right now the titles available in the youth market are fairly limited (distributed exclusively through Follett [5] Though I imagine the collection will grow rapidly.
Audio Books in the School Library
Audio Books should be part of the school library collection. Increasingly, digital audiobooks and playaways should be considered as well. The availablility of these resources in support of the curriculum will benefit all readers, from those with reading disabilities, reluctant readers, to those who want to try something different. Teachers can use audio books in classrooms when teaching literature that contains alot of dialogue or accents i.e. Huckleberry Finn.
The SLMS who has a working relationship with his/her classroom teachers should keep an updated collection of titles that are being read in the classrooms as part of the curriculum, to support readers who need the auditory assistance.
An after school inservice program for teachers can be offered by the SLMS on digital audiobooks: what they are, how to access them, how to use them in your classroom. This would create an awareness of what is available to teachers.
