I’ve been getting to know our “audio patrons” lately. I’ve never been an audio book listener so I decided to look at some of the reasons why someone might start listening to audio books.
Readers can access a lot more books when they check out audio books. You can take them in your car, while you’re exercising or walking. You can even listen to them while doing household chores and when you’re just lounging. Think about all of that time!
Audio books are great for auditory learners. You are hearing how to pronounce words before seeing them in print. The reader’s voices help you comprehend the story more when the narrator changes his or her inflections for the characters and doesn’t just read, but acts! Its really fun to compare the American readers/books to British readers. (Think about the word harassment…)
Audio books are wonderful for readers with visual impairments. Its not easy for an avid reader to give it up due to eye strain or poor eyesight. They are also quite accessible. Bridges has a large collection of audio books available for download. Check with the staff here for directions on how to utilize Bridges for audio books. Drake Public Library also has a relatively large audio book collection that we are working on to keep current and interesting for our audio patrons. We have a shelf on the main floor and we also have several audio versions of children’s books in the children’s department.
Like a good print book, audio books can be comforts reads and favorites that you listen to over and over again. So, what are you waiting for?
By JeNel Allen Barth
