2/12/2008 11:11:00 AM Similar to MP3s, new audiobooks arrive at Chatfield Library
SELCO librarian Mollie Pherson, center, gives instructions on digital audiobook use to Donna Tucker and Curt Peterson of Chatfield during a program at the Chatfield Public Library.
By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy
Going digital is a better way to garden, walk, run or clean house.
Just plug in your earphones... and listen to a new digital audiobook from the Chatfield Public Library.
"These new digital audiobooks weigh two ounces and are about the size of a deck of cards. They are very similar to portable MP3 music players. The listener does not need to worry about loading CDs or cassettes - the entire book is pre-loaded onto the player. They are really pretty simple to use, and they come on a lanyard so they can easily be worn around one's neck while walking, running, doing housework or weeding the garden," explained Chatfield Public Library director Monica Erickson.
She described the new digital recorded books available at the library. Digital audiobooks feature several different volume and sound settings, and have an automatic bookmark feature that remembers where you stopped listening and resumes at that point when turned on again, or allows users to skip chapters or tracks.
Patrons supply their own earphones to plug into the player, and also an AAA battery to power the audiobook.
"We do have a set of mini-speakers that we will check out with the digital audiobooks, if anyone would like. I've been told that if one has an MP3 car FM modulator, one can 'tune' into the digital audiobook and listen to it on their car radio. I've been told these modulators are available at stores like Best Buy or Radio Shack."
Funding for the purchase of the digital audiobooks was provided by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant acquired by SELCO, the regional library office serving counties in southeastern Minnesota.
The LSTA program is federally administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and provides grant funding to states. In Minnesota, the LSTA program is administered by the State Library Services and School Technology Division.
"Basically, our library was asked if we wanted to be included in this grant and help with the planning and we said 'yes'. We and several other libraries qualified because of the large senior citizen population in our areas. Over 400 digital audiobooks were purchased with this grant. These were divided into groups of about 28 per library involved. These groups are now a rotating collection.
"The 28 titles we have now will remain in our library for three months and then we will pass them on to another library involved and get a new set from a different library," elaborated Erickson.
"This way, the 400 titles will eventually all end up in our library at a certain point for a three-month period. However, any of the 400 titles purchased through this grant, plus any digital audios in any library's collection, may be requested from any library through interlibrary loan at any time."
Patrons may order an audiobook through the interlibrary loan system and have them delivered to the Chatfield Public Library just a few days later.
"Let us know exactly what format you are after and we'll show you how to search for the titles you want and request them online or we'll do it for you. If it is in audio format and a library somewhere in Minnesota has it, most likely we can get it for you."
The loan period for audiobooks in all formats is three weeks, just like books in print, and renewal and overdue fines are the same as books in print.
The Chatfield library has nearly 700 audiobooks, an estimated 300 on cassette and 400 on CD.
"We have something in about every genre -- mystery, romance, Westerns, comedy, inspirational fiction, general fiction, nonfiction, short story - you name it. There are titles for kids, teens, adults and everyone in between."
Recorded books benefit numerous "readers."
"Audiobooks allow people with reading and vision impairments to access and enjoy almost any book that traditional readers enjoy. I would venture to say that all bestsellers are released in some form of audio as well as in print format these days. These new digital audiobooks have the added advantages that folks don't have to mess with keeping track of which tape or CD they are on. They don't need to acquire a separate player and then deal with all those buttons. And they don't have to deal with trying to figure out where they left off as they do with many CD players."
Not only do they assist people with impairments, they also provide entertainment for people on the go.
"Our audiobooks are extremely popular, not only with folks who have vision impairments, but also those who have long commutes, or jobs that allow listening while working. They are also extremely popular for those who like to listen while doing chores or exercising. Kids and family audios are popular for long car trips when vacation time rolls around. They are addicting ... I find it difficult to get in my vehicle to drive just the 10 miles home without an audiobook to listen to," said Erickson.
Audiobooks are expensive to provide to patrons, but the library strives to accommodate.
"Our patrons only want the unabridged versions, so that is all we buy. This means the entire book is recorded, which can mean anywhere from two to even 48 compact discs.
"We have a special library plan through 'Recorded Books' which gives us a discount that helps keep the cost of most bestseller-sized books on CD just under $100. Without this plan, most adult books on CD would cost over $100. If this sounds a bit higher than what you see in the local bookstores, it may be because we need to purchase library quality editions that are a bit sturdier, often come with cases, and provide for cassette or CD replacement services."
The library no longer buys cassette audiobooks because the demand for CD audiobooks far surpasses cassettes now.
"We cannot afford to buy titles in both formats. We weeded out several cassettes that were no longer getting much use and donated them to Chosen Valley Assisted Living, but still have about 400 titles on cassette."
Everyday use "poses expenses as well," said Erickson.
"It can cost $5 to $16 just for the cases to hold the audiobooks, and that is at a discount. It costs about $7 to replace a missing CD or cassette if they are lost or damaged. We have invested in a modest machine to clean and buff out minor scratches in CDs, but have not been very pleased with the results and run into many problems with the machine itself."
To that end, the library staff hopes to add digital audiobooks to the library's regular collection "as we see how popular they become, how well they stand up to usage, and as more and more titles become available in this format. The digital audiobooks are very often less expensive than the same titles in unabridged CD or cassette."
Last Thursday evening a digital audiobook tutorial program, provided by the LSTA grant, was given by SELCO project librarian Mollie Pherson.
For more information and to use the digital audiobooks, contact the Chatfield Public Library at (507) 867-3480.
