Audiobook Appreciation Month

image by Jeff Daly (dalydose), Creative Commons

August is an unusual month. It contains no significant American holidays, and there is only one major American event: VJ Day or Victory in the Pacific Day, which effectively ended World War II. This month is host to several not well known events such as National Goat Cheese Month, National Catfish Month, and Neurosurgery Outreach Month. At the library, though, the most relevant monthlong event in August is Audiobook Appreciation Month.

Audiobooks are a popular way to come across books both new and old. Here at the library, many books that are popular in their hardcover format are likewise often checked out as audiobooks. There are even audiobook versions of novels, nonfiction, lectures, and radio programs that are no longer carried or do not exist as a paper version.

The Garland County Library has recently added a downloadable audiobook collection. This can be accessed from the library’s website. You will need your up to date Garland County Library card available to check out downloadable material, and checkouts for these items work identically to audiobooks and traditional books. After three weeks downloaded items will be automatically returned for others to enjoy.

The library also carries audiobooks on the playaway format. Playaways are mp3 players with preloaded audiobooks. These are especially convenient for book lovers because they are smaller than a deck of playing cards, require only a set of headphones, can be stopped and restarted at any point in the reading, and the speed of the narrator’s voice can be altered to the listener’s preference. There are hundreds of titles on playaway, from children’s books to popular mysteries.

Patrons and library employees alike enjoy audiobooks for a variety of reasons. Among those on the other side of the circulation desk, reasons for checking out novels and nonfiction on audio include convenience, usefulness to pass time during long trips, and realistic narration; they were also mentioned as funnier when performed rather than read. A few preferred audiobooks read by the author, as they could better relate to the content and the author could inflect important parts exactly as he or she intended. Another enjoyed the variety of voices a reader would provide so that the listener could tell the characters apart.

Although the library is much better known as a place to check out the latest James Patterson or Janet Evanovich hardcover, it also holds great alternative ways to enjoy literature and be entertained. Despite being a more recent addition to libraries, audiobooks have become a staple of the modern library offering. They are a practical medium that will continue to increase in popularity.