Would you pay $50,000 for audiobooks?

Marion Bryant did.

The director of the Blue Grass Regional Library in Tennessee bought the audiobooks for 200 libraries around the state, according to The Huffington Post. And Bryant herself is a fan of audiobooks.

I've never listened to an audiobook, and I'm not sure how much I would enjoy it. I listen to This American Life and PRI: Selected Shorts, and sometimes I zone out in the middle of stories. So I am projecting that onto an entire audiobook and thinking I wouldn't be able to pay attention the entire way through. I can get entirely lost in a book I am reading, but I don't know if the same would happen if I were listening to it through my iPod.

So, to give audiobooks a try, I am subscribing to two podcasts that provide free audiobooks: LibriVox Audiobooks and Great Books - A Chapter a Day. Right now I'm just downloading and storing the files, but I'm sure they will come in handy when I'm on a long trip and want something other than music during my drive. And if I like what I hear, I can see myself getting into audiobooks. Just not $50,000 worth.

The importance of school librarians

I remember some things about my elementary school library. A card catalog sat in front of the circulation desk. Reference books and encyclopedias were to the left, and a door led to the computer lab where we learned how to type. To the right were rows and rows of books, and the rows only had three shelves, so you could see over them across the entire library. On top of the card catalog was a tin with rulers that had stickers on the end. We were taught to pick out a ruler every time we went into the library. When we pulled a book from the shelf, we were to put the ruler in its place, so we could reshelve the book on our own. (Now that I am older and a library school student, I think this is the greatest idea ever!)

I didn't spend a LOT of time at my elementary school library, but that is how I learned how to use the library. I went to the public library in my hometown probably about once a week when I was growing up, but I wouldn't have learned how to look for things in the library if it hadn't been for Mrs. Holmes, our elementary school media specialist.

These days, things in the school library are different. The New York Times recently published an article about an NYC librarian who showed students the site allaboutexplorers.com, which contains false information. Only one student spoke up about the false facts, while the others were apparently settling with the first bit of information they found. The point of the lesson obviously was to educate students about research, about sifting through the Internet to find facts that can be confirmed.

More surprising from this story is the fact that some school districts in this country are eliminating the librarians — or at least eliminating some of the school librarians — when budgets get tight. I understand that budgets are tight everywhere, that school districts are forced to make a decision as to what to cut, not just if they should make cuts. Sports, arts, music and electives are all getting trimmed out of district budgets, so it's no wonder that administrators are looking at libraries. But in this day of information overload, it's even more important for students to learn how to research correctly to find good information. Without school librarians and media specialists, who's going to do it?

Interested in a book club?

The Hickory Record published an Associated Press article about the logistics of starting a book club. It's quite a good reference for getting all your whos, whats, whens and hows in order.

I've never been in a book club, but this sort of inspires me to join or start one. I am sure I'll look more into it when my schedule doesn't include full-time school on top of full-time work.

Has anyone else been in a book club? What has been your experience?

Readers are good Samaritans

I'm not saying people who wouldn't consider themselves to be readers are not good Samaritans, but how many people would return a hollowed out book filled with money. I like this story not only because it has a happy ending, but also because someone was actually hiding something of value in a hollowed out book. I thought that kind of stuff was just for the movies.

The future of circulation

Cleveland Public Library and the 29 libraries in its system have debuted the e-pub format. While the library has been offering electronic book downloads, the new system is the standard used by publishers across the country. Patrons can put the e-books on a variety of electronic devices, and a plethora of titles are available for download.

I'm curious to see how Cleveland-area libraries handle the new options for the patrons. Obviously, they have already adjusted their services to provide what the patrons are looking for.

I also wonder if the books will be loadable to the iPhone to be read through Stanza, which is kind of like Apple's response to Amazon's Kindle. I'll have to check this out on the boyfriend's iPhone.

Reading is rising!

U.S. Census Bureau data says more adults are reading, findingDulcinea reports. Experts have different opinions for why this is the case — the popularity of books like "Twilight," the economic downturn that has forced people to find cheap (or free) entertainment — but I think we should all agree that this is a good thing. It doesn't really matter why more people are picking up books, magazines, newspapers or whatever else. The more people read, the more educated they will be, the better off we all are.

avoid the fines

The Yolo County library system in California is allowing young readers to read off fines. Instead of paying money for overdue books, youths can spend time reading instead. Quite the creative way to encourage kids to read — and get their books back on time.

little-seen books can find more life

Google book search is giving more life to little-seen books. Googlers may find older, out-of-print books that wouldn't be easily findable in any other search. Profit doesn't seem to be the point of this venture, nor should it be. The point of this venture should be education, to help Googlers in research and exploration. I understand if publishers of books still under copyright would like some sort of payment for providing texts, but I hope that more will be available freely, like a library.

libraries are where all the cool kids hang out

Killers lead singer Brandon Flowers said he goes to the library when he has writer's block to get some inspiration. Wouldn't it be a fantastic way to get more people into libraries if more celebrities and idols talked about how great libraries are?

reading and YouTube

A library in Virginia is talking to kids in a way they understand to get them to read. It has proposed a contest in which kids must read "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston, then create a YouTube video. Branch manager David Plunkett notes how it will allow kids to be creative with things they are interested in. All libraries should consider programs like this to encourage reading and learning. And though this would present a challenge, libraries should be able to provide video and editing equipment.

They're alive!

The idea of the living library seems to be becoming more popular, and an article in Common Ground address the biggest concern I have about the idea, albeit briefly. Rules at the Santa Monica Library dictate that you can "check out" a "book" only for questions, not for confrontation. My biggest fear about this is that an Atheist Book will be attacked by someone from the Religious Right who accuses them of being a devil worshiper, for example. The living library could be incredibly successful in educating people about things they otherwise would never learn. But how much will it be used? How many people on the Religious Right want to learn from an Atheist Book?

Top 10 of 2008

Library and Information Science News on Tuesday published their Ten Stories That Shaped 2008. New technology contributes to many items on the list, but No. 1 underscores a good old-fashioned reason for the library: it's free.

An Apple e-reader

Have the iPhone? Want to read e-books? Download the Stanza, a free app that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into an e-book reader, similar to the Kindle. With 682 reviews, iTunes users give Stanza three stars out of five. More than 150,000 titles are available for download — some of those for free.

My biggest question with this is battery life. I haven't really wondered about the Kindle's battery life because it is an e-book reader. But an iPhone is also a phone (and an iPod and a camera and a GPS and whatever else it is that you download to alter the functions of the phone), and as someone who enjoys sitting down to read for hours at a time, I would be concerned about battery life. I don't see an iPhone in my future, but I do see one in the boyfriend's future, and maybe I can have him download the app and a free e-book to test out the viability of the e-reader.

Take back the books

WSMV-TV in Nashville reported that a library missing 5,000 books could close. The missing books carry a price tag of $136,000, which is a third of the budget of the Tennessee library. I hope the publicity from the story will encourage patrons to take back the books, because they are sure to be upset when the library closes or demands the funds to remain open.