A library person was recently asking for suggestions for audiobooks; so we are passing on the responses for your own thoughts for your collections!
“What’s your favorite YA audiobook? I’m looking for suggestions of good books, but also great narration.
I am asking for both personal and professional reasons. I have started listening to YA audiobooks in the teen room when we’re not crazy busy. The patrons like it, and a good number of them drift to the CD section now. I am also planning a booklist and display called “Now Hear This” with books and their audio. Thanks in advance.”
Pinterest: the source of all kinds of library fun!
Back in the olden days, books in the library were available only in paper format.
This is a wonderful format for transmitting ideas in many situations – doesn’t require battery recharging, easy to see in bright sunshine, less likely to be destroyed if accidentally dropped into the tub when reading. It’s stable, and with proper handling can last for many years.
But now we have all sorts of good opportunities to help people read books!
Content is the key; format is a choice. Books are more than their formats; format is just a way to transmit ideas.
I am an enormous audiobook reader. A format more ancient than paper for transmitting stories, sharing ideas verbally continues to be a good way to read books.
When you are doing Reader’s Advisory (RA) work in audio formats, it’s important to know about the reader. A good reader, or a group of readers, can make the book come to life; a bad one can kill any hope of enjoying a book. I don’t know that I would have stayed with Ender’s Game if I was reading in on paper; but the audio version definitely kept me going! I have listened to books I would not have considered, except they were read by Scott Brick, Lorelei King, or George Guidall – award winning readers, and voices I really enjoy across all kinds of books.
You can listen to books as you walk your dog, as you do dishes, as you drive to work, or as you set at your computer doing monotonous and repetitive work. The flexibility of audiobooks means you can get more reading done than if you had to just sit in one place and read. For an omnivorous book reader (raising my hand here!), audiobooks have a good place in my daily reading schedule.
Mediatore, K. (2003). Reading with Your Ears: Readers’ Advisory and Audio Books. Reference & User Services Quarterly,42(4), 318-323.
Check out Overdrive’s services through your local library, or buy books from audible.com (or other sources); and discover the joys of reading audiobooks today!
Any suggestions for good places to start in reading? Any RA tips for audiobooks? Share them below!
In June 2016, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their 25 Best Apps for Teaching and Learning. The apps encourage qualities such as innovation and active participation, and are user-friendly.
The app Epic! features thousands of ebooks and audiobooks, with a huge variety of genres, such as nonfiction, mysteries, and even picture books. The app also features educational videos. Teachers are able to setup individual profiles for their students to track reading logs and book preferences.
Cost: Educators are eligible for free accounts so students can view content on their devices; families pay a low monthly fee. Level: Elementary Platforms: iOS and Android
A Pew Report from September 10th, 2014 brings more insight into how young adults are using (or not using) their local libraries. The report is based on several years’ research and divides Americans under 30 and those 30 and over. Within the report you’ll find many graphs and charts, but below you’ll find one that illustrates how often Americans read books:
Between May 30th – August 21st Sync will be giving away two free audiobook downloads, each week, for listeners 13 years of age or older. This service began in 2010 to promote literacy among young adults. As an alternative to listening to music, these downloads are MP3 formats that operate through Over Drive’s Media Console and are compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems. Once the title is downloaded, it can be listened to at any time. However, they will only be made available, for download, for only 7 days.
How Do I Sign-up?Go to the right column and sign-up to get notifications of when the audiobook downloads are available by text message, email newsletter, or by simply following the SYNC blog. Please note that signing up for these alerts will not send you the titles. The alerts will only tell you whenand where the title is available to download. Click here for a schedule.
Tip: If you would like to promote this free service in your library, the Sync site offers a toolkit for Librarians & Educators with a host of resources.
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