By Pam L., Public Services Librarian
Did you know that June of every year is Audiobook Appreciation Month? Summer is a perfect time to focus on this auditory format and give your eyes a break. Plus, who doesn’t have fond childhood memories of drowsily drifting off to sleep while being read-to by a beloved adult? Audiobooks offer a similar nostalgic experience of hearing a story, intimately conveyed by human voice.
History & Evolution
Wondering where it all began? Back in 1878, Thomas Edison created the very first phonographic reading on his new invention; this brief recorded demo featured a verse of Alfred Tennyson’s poetry. But, the early technology was limited to 4-minute clips and not yet sufficiently advanced to support Edison’s vision of a storytelling device in every home, delivering full-length literature to the masses. Another early motivator was the desire to offer adaptive reading services to the blind and later to the many soldiers who lost their sight during World War I.
Over time, audio technology evolved from cylinder to vinyl to tape to CD and on to digital formats, such as MP3 downloads. Mirroring this hardware progression, the improved convenience, affordability, and availability of audiobooks changed as well. The first general-interest audiobooks landed on bookstore shelves in the 1980s followed by Amazon’s Audible service, which peddled mass-market audiobooks, compatible with their Audible Player. Soon, other sources for audiobook downloads came on the scene, such as: Project Gutenberg, Google Books, LibriVox, and more, along with various personal devices on which to listen. These days, most people listen via their smart phones, tablets, or computers.
By 2018, an astounding 50,000 books were recorded annually in the U.S. alone, with an average of 80,000 words for close to 10 hours of narration. As an aside, if you’re looking for a lucrative career, consider becoming a professional narrator; you could earn up to $250/hour!
Audiences & Advantages
A National Literacy Trust research report suggests that a wide range of benefits are associated with listening to audiobooks for children, teens, adults, and seniors: “Audiobooks can help develop reading skills, such as decoding and comprehension, but also build on the positive outcomes that reading fosters, such as wellbeing and emotional intelligence.”
Reading by listening enables multi-tasking, which allows one to travel, exercise, do chores, create crafts, all while enjoying a good book. Studies suggest that the cognitive functions of understanding and remembering are similar whether reading with your eyes or your ears. This fact is especially beneficial to those who struggle with decoding and word recognition – removing barriers and enabling success.
Audiobooks can broaden access to more challenging and diverse literature. Anyone who has difficulty recognizing more difficult vocabulary or who lacks decoding skills may experience improved comprehension when hearing text pronounced aloud in-context and by absorbing the tone conveyed by the narrator’s performance.
Older listeners may have visual deficiencies and appreciate the lack of eye strain associated with audiobooks. Similar to those of other ages, exposure to audiobooks helps to stimulate their brains, while offering companionship and diminished feelings of isolation and anxiety.
Stats
According to the Audio Publishers Association, growth in this format is climbing annually, with 2023 audiobook profits increasing by 9%, to a whopping $2 billion. Of those surveyed, more than half of U.S. adults had listened to an audiobook at some time in their lives. Fiction is the top-selling genre, at 64%, with History/Biography/Memoir the fastest growing at a rate of 22%. Not everyone is buying though – libraries loaned digital audiobooks to 46% of audiobook listeners.
How Does Hamilton East Public Library Measure-up?
- HEPL has 11,412 audiobooks on CD on the shelves, in both buildings and for all audiences.
- Additionally, we currently have 10,388 unique titles available on Libby.
- In 2024, patrons borrowed 147,450 digital audiobooks from Libby!
- The newest audiobook format to HEPL is the Playaway, a standalone media player that contains an entire book! These have just debuted on the Noblesville shelves.
How to Locate Audiobooks at HEPL
You can search the library’s catalog for audiobooks in multiple ways. From the HEPL Website’s catalog search, try changing the drop-down on the upper left field from “Everything” to “Digital Catalog” then enter audiobook in the search field. Presto – you’ll see nothing but Libby e-books and e-audiobooks! Another filtering strategy is to use the left-side column; under Material Type, you can select from: Audiobook on CD, Readalong book (on CD or digital format), Audiobook on CD—New, Book on CD-High School, Readalong book with CD, and Book on CD-Middle School.
For downloadable content, you can search a title using the HEPL App and then select the Hoopla or Libby tab. Another method is to search from within the Libby and Hoopla apps themselves, with the audiobook filter selected.
HEPL is excited to announce our newest audiobook format – Playaway: The all-in-1 audiobook. This is a standalone media player which contains one complete book. These preloaded, portable audio-players are now available to borrow. The initial collection is shelved at Noblesville and offers 18 fiction titles and 12 non-fiction with a 21-day loan period. Search the catalog using the keyword or subject search term “Playaway” for the full list. You will need to provide your own headphones or aux cable for listening.
If you need help finding your preferred audio format, staff members are available to help. We’ll show you the ropes, and you’ll soon be searching on your own.
Find Your Next Audiobook
20 Places to Find Audiobooks: Reader’s Digest
Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production (Children & Young Adults)
Sources for Audiobook Reading Lists
Audiobooks.com: Browse a wide range of audiobooks by genre, popularity, or new releases.
Audiobooks Now: Bestsellers, featuring lists of new and best-selling titles.
Libro.fm: Blog that provides lists of their most recommended audiobooks.
Modern Mrs Darcy: Blogger shares personal recommendations and favorite audiobooks of the year.