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carHave you listened to a good book lately? More and more people are experiencing books through listening. Audiobooks, or books-on-tape, can be used anywhere you can't hold a book and have something to do that doesn't required concentration. Whether cooking, cleaning, exercising, mowing the lawn or working in the garage, listening to a book is a great way to rejuvenate your mind. Rather than passing time with a popular magazine in a waiting room or line, why not turn on a book? Commuters and vacationers traveling by car, bus, train, or airplane can all enjoy books alone or as part of a family activity.

Audiobooks by William C. Robinson from his course lecture notes for Contemporary Book Publishing in the U.S. at the University of Tennessee provides a brief history and summary of audiobook publishing.

People who criticize audiobook listeners as "nonreaders" or "missing the joy of reading" are being charged with "sense discrimination" by those who enjoy this reading option.

correctionsquestionExplore the website Heard Any Good Books Lately? An Industry Booms (Jan. 2005) by Lynn Neary from NPR Morning Edition.

checkRead Listen My Children and You Shall Hear: Audio Books for Young Adults (Spring 1999) by Marjorie M. Kaiser from the The ALAN Review, 26(3). The latter describes one person's experience with audiobooks.

checkRead the off-site articles: (1) Hearing Aid, or Listening Can Help Your Writing by Karen L. Oberst and (2) Web Watch Audiobooks: Ear-resistible! by Denise Johnson at Reading Online.

questionListen to an audiobook on a topic of your choice such as an Audie audiobook award winner. You might try The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, Self Matters by Phillip McGraw, John Adams by David McCullough, or The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. Listen in the car, doing housework, or relaxing, then create a list of the advantages and disadvantages of this format. Consider sharing the listening experience. How does that change the experience?

Audiobook Issues

We’ve known for a long time that reading to children is critical to the love of reading. This may also be true throughout life. Audiobook users can enjoy the voice of a dynamic narrator and get lost in the storytelling experience. Beyond the pleasure of good subject matter, the experience can reduce stress, promote relaxation, and reduce eye strain. By adding yoga, dish washing, or stuffing envelopes, people can even become more productive through multitasking.

There are many issues associated with audiobooks including length, format, organization, and selection issues.

Dr.J's Jags & Jabs
image of Larry JohnsonFor me, listening to audiobooks on CD (Rather almost two decades ago, it was cassette audiotapes) was an acquired taste. I had to get used to switching tapes (discs) and learn the in-and-outs of working with the technology before it became routine. Isn't that the way it is with almost any new technology? At first you have to relearn or learn new procedures, sometimes it takes a little longer when you are comfortable with the another way of doing things. Newer technologies do not usually exactly replace an older method, rather they do similar things in a little different fashion. Like many people, I first listened to audio programs while making a long commute back and forth to a campus. Today I still listen to audiobooks, some instructional / informational programs, and other types of spoken word programs.

Stephen King recently weighted in with his enthusiasm and some pet peaves in one of his Pop Of King postings: Hail to the Spoken Word.

 

Abridged versus Unabridged

John AdamsFor people who listen to books in their car, unabridged works are referred to as "cross country" titles and abridged titles as "cross town" titles.

Unabridged means that the complete book is included in the audiobook version. Abridged versions have been edited and only include a portion of the complete work. Subplots, characterizations, and detailed descriptions are often eliminated. For example the unabridged version of David McCullough's book John Adams is read by Nelson Runger and contains 26 CDs. The abridged version read by Edward Hermann costs less than half as much money and contains only 9 CDs or 6 audiocassettes. That's a big different in content and cost.

checkRead the off-site article Speaking of Audio: Selling Unabridged Audio -- The Complete Audiobook by Robin Whitten in Bookselling This Week (Jan. 24, 2002) for a discussion of this issue.

questionListen to the abridged and unabridged version of the same book. Share you experience. Which do you prefer and why?

Most audiobook readers and librarians have very strong feelings about this issue. New users are more likely to listen to short stories or abridged editions. This is a good way to determine which narrators are preferred or to sample an author's work. Listening clubs and casual listeners also like abridged editions.

Established listeners often crave the entire works and are frustrated by what they view as incomplete works. Teachers also seek the unabridged edition when they want students to read along with the book.

In the past many books were only available in abridged versions for audio, however there's a growing trend by publishers to offer both versions of their product. Librarians need to be aware of the needs and interests of their patrons.

Audiotapes versus CDs.

From reel-to-reel and cassette tapes to CDs and MP3s, listeners have experienced many formats over the past century. In the 1930s, the Library of Congress began distributing long-play records for the blind. Since then we’ve experienced vinyl records, cassettes, and CDs. Recently, MP3 and downloadable books can be added to the list. Each new entry doesn’t necessarily mean an end to the old. In some locations, libraries continue to purchase some audiobooks on cassette tape despite the popularity of CDs. But people are finding that many programs are not available in the older format. Thought for the future: how long before CDs are largely a format of the past?

Two online articles, Speaking of Audio: In the Driver's Seat (July 2003) by Robbin Whitte, and The Future of Unabridged (Nov. 2001) by Norman Oder, Library Journal, touch on the issues of digital technologies replacing the older analog cassette tape format. Also you can read a transcript of Profile: Last American Company Manufacturing Audiotape Closes Its Doors (Jan. 2005; Access requires login) or listen to the Archived Broadcast Online from Morning Edition (NPR)

Self MattersToday, you can still purchase audiobooks in different formats but not every audiobook is available in unabridged form. For example, Self Matters by Phillip McGraw is available in abridged and CD or abridged audio cassette. You can also read the hardback book, softback book, or download the Adobe Reader or Microsoft Reader digital version. Many books are even available in MP3 sounds files. Most people would think that the move from audio cassette to CD audiobooks would reflect the music market, but this isn't the case for a number of reasons.

For audiobooks, more narrative fits on a cassette than an audio CD. Cassettes generally contain 105 minutes of programming, but CDs only hold about 74 minutes. DVDs hold more information, but people don't generally have DVD players in their cars. Although new cars come with CD players, many cars still have tape players.

There are concerns about starting, stopping, and marking your place on a CD. However, many of the newer CD players return to the place they left off if the CD is left in the player. In addition, it's easy to move from track to track in CDs to return to a specific point.

CDs also have advantages. They are relatively durable (that is if someone knows how to care for them) and less likely to be destroyed than cassettes (Does anyone remember wrapping the tape around a sticky capstain roller untill it breaks - even spicing can't help what it does to that track!).

You can get more ideas about availability of titles by browsing through Audio Books on Audio Cassettes and Audio Books on Audio CDs at Amazon Books.

The articles Will CDs and DVDs Disappear? (Sept. 2003) by Peter Cohen from PC World and Forrester Report Says Downloads Will Replace Discs (Sept. 2003) by Jay Lyman from TechNewsWorld reminds us that storage media and processes will continue to evolve.

Intershelve or Separate

Since the introduction of audiobooks, there have been movements to intershelve the collection with books. The placement of any library materials should be related to the patrons and their needs rather than ease of shelving or inventory. In collections where audiobooks are kept separate, users tend to focus on the media. In other words, they're going on summer vacation and want a book they can listen to at the beach or in the airplane. The decision about whether it's horror, romance, or self-help content comes second.

In collections that are intershelved, the content is most important. In other words, patrons are looking for everything they can find on dieting or the Vietnam War. In this case, it might be helpful to have audio, video, and book materials housed together.

Books versus Audiobook and Book versus Kit

There's a soft battle raging between book readers and audiobook readers. The Audio Publishers Association (APA) reported that nearly one in four Americans (24.6%) have listened to an audiobook in the past year (Audio Publishers Association Relaeses Major Consumer Survey and Announces Increase in Audiobook Usage, Sept. 2006).

A lot of books are not available as an audiobook, especially books that are not popular with mainstream readers. And generally the paper edition is produced first, and you will have to wait a period of time before the audiobook comes out. However, a few books are now only available in the audiobook format. These original productions include classics, collections, and lesser known works. For example, you can hear The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Dalai Lama in America, and On the Road with Charles Kuralt. In other cases, an audiobook may come with a book, booklet, and other materials like puppets or posters. Some children's books come with or without a CD or tape.

Consider the end user. Where is the greatest need? Most of us would not attempt to read a book while driving a car. And the experiences of reading a book and listening to a book are different. We use the two forms in a different manner.

Author versus Professional Narrator

FrogsA greatest benefit of audiobooks is the ability to hear words aloud. This is particularly true with poetry where the flow of words is so important. The narrator can make or break the quality of an audio listening experience.

Sometimes the author reads the material. For example, Jack Prelutsky, author of The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders, is a great performer in addition to a children's poet.

When selecting an actor or narrator, producers consider the characters in the book such as the gender and age of the main character. The setting of the book and associated accents are also taken into consideration.

Because narrators sometimes do the voices of many characters, they are often trained in the classic theatre.

questionListen to excerpts from at least three different audiobooks and compare the narrators. What are the characteristics of an effective narrator?

Learning with Audiobooks

Audiobooks can motivate students to read. They allow children and young adults to enjoy a book at their interest level that might be above their reading level such as Charlotte’s Web or The Incredible Journey. In addition, children who read slowly can still participate in class activities.

For very young children and people learning English as a second language, audiobooks provide a way to learn the patterns of language, focus on objects, and learn expressions. They are also good examples of fluent reading for children and young adults.

Audiobooks can take the "read aloud" burden off the teacher and parent. For example, if you have a hard time getting through Where the Red Fern Grows without crying, let Richard Thomas read it aloud to the class.

Soldier's HeartcheckRead the off-site article Why Audiobooks Matter by LeVar Burton.

Soldier's HeartcheckRead Benefits of Audiobooks for All Readers by Denise Johnson (2003) at Reading Rockets.

checkRead the off-site article, The Audio Time Machine, by Deborah Locke in Book Links, 11( 6), June/July 2002) (Also at AudioBookshelf). It describes the merits of audio books in exploring historical novels. It also provides a nice list of resources.

checkRead the webpage, Learning with Audiobooks from Audio Bookshelf for more classroom ideas.

questionChoose a genre of literature that you enjoy and identify three audiobooks you'd like to read. Use some of the references in the article to gather ideas.

Encourage students to become better listeners and readers through audiobooks. Strategies for using audiobooks with children vary. Some teachers encourage their students to read the book along with the tape during the first reading. This familiarizes students with the story. During subsequent readings, students concentrate on the words.

Some learning is formal, while other is informal. Some parents encourage reading through modeling. They provide audiobooks in the car and encourage listening for relaxation.

Bud Not BuddycheckRead A Bridge to Literacy: Creating Lifelong Readers through Audiobooks, by Denise Marchionda (AudioFile Magazine, August/September 2001) or Listen While You Read by Kylene Beers from School Library Journal, 1998. Create a list of the strategies the author described for using audiobooks with students.

checkRead the off-site article, Bud, Not Buddy: Common Reading, Uncommon Listening, by Marjorie M. Kaiser (The ALAN Review, 27(3), Spring 2000). Summarize the model described in the article. Working with a teacher, develop a common reading experience around an audiobook of your choice.

questionUse Listen to Any Good Books Lately? for additional audiobook title ideas.

Audio Book Articles

In addition to the many articles already discussed on this page, many other materials are available on the web and in print. Explore articles in your interest area.

Audio Book Selection

There are resources on selecting audiobooks. A few are listed below for your exploration.

Reviews

You can locate some reviews at Find articles.com. For example, they archive School Library Journal reviews. Some producers provide collected reviews.

Jenette Larson writes audiobook review articles for Library Media Connection. Read one of her latest: (Aug/Sep2006) What's New in Audiobooks; 25(1), 40-44. (Access requires login). Once logged in you can view a pdf file of the complete article.

Audiobook Distributors

When selecting audiobooks, it's useful to go to distributor and publisher websites. They often provide excerpts from their audiobooks.

Other Useful Online Resources

  • Audio Bookshelf – Book reviews, ideas for classroom integration, and purchase options. The provide excerpts from reviews such as Booklist, Horn Book, and School Library Journal. They also have an online newsletter. This website as a nice “homey” feel that librarians will enjoy.
  • AudioFile - Magazine for People Who Love Audiobooks – this website provides great reviews and information about audiobooks.
  • Audio Publishers Association (APA) – Links to lots of publishers and distributors

Print References and Reviews

Audiobook Lists