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Library customers can now listen to a favorite novel, no matter what the length, on a digital audiobook that weighs two ounces and is about the size of a deck of cards. Over 400 audiobooks have been acquired for the SELCO Regional Library System, including the Harmony Public Library. Digital audiobooks are similar to portable MP3 music players. A listener only needs earphones and a AAA battery to enjoy the pre-loaded content.
“The simplicity of the control buttons makes the player easy to operate,” states Mollie Pherson, SELCO Project Librarian in charge of the grant used to purchase the collection. Audiobooks have an automatic bookmark feature that remembers where you stopped listening and resumes at that point when turned on again. “We do plan to offer training, targeted for older adults,” she added, “beginning in January when our annual Hot Read for Cold Nights program starts.
The audiobook collection will be rotated between participating libraries, though a customer can request any title regardless of its location. To view a list of available titles, visit your library or go online to www.selco.info and search on the catalog using the term “digital audiobooks for seniors.”
Funding for the purchase of the 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.
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Additional contact: Mollie Pherson, (800) 992-5061, mpherson@selco.info