Audiobooks

Audiobooks aren't really my thing. I find I have a hard time listening to books and staying focused on them. But I can see where others would really like them. They seem really great for long road trips. I think that having access to audiobooks, ebooks, kindles, etc are important for the library. I've never actually used a Kindle before and I'm hesitant because I really do enjoy the idea of having an actual book and being able to physically turn the pages, it's part of the experience for me. I'm sure Kindles offer a different type of experience, and who is to say that its not just as good in a different way. I think having a lot of books available on a single reader is really convenient, especially for taking on a plane. I like the ability to download books from anywhere and being able to access newspaper articles too. Having music on the kindle for background sound is a cool idea as well as having access to simple web browsing like wikipedia. However, I would always be worrying about dropping, losing, forgetting, spilling coffee on or otherwise ruining a kindle (I tend to abuse my reading materials). And I would never remember to charge it. I'm not sure where the Kindle will fit in the future. I would love to get one if I had the money, but I would probably use it as a suppliment to my book collection, not instead of it.

I went a little off topic there, so back to audiobooks. These are important for libraries to offer to their patrons. I also read an article about the benefits of audiobooks in teaching to kids who are struggling with reading literacy. By "hearing" the book, they are more likely to understand the context of the story. I took a look at Netlibrary.com though I couldn't make an account. I thought they had a good selection and easy navigation throughout the site. Looking through this, I think that I would probably like audiobooks for non fiction materials. I can listen to non fiction better than I can read it.