3 Based on this data, you may start contemplating a deaccession of your physical audiobook collection, but before you do, also consider that 46 percent of listeners are above the age of forty-five and around 15 percent are over sixty-five, so there may be some strongly-held preferences for physical audiobooks. In 2013, downloadable titles made up 70 percent of audiobook sales while just four years later, they accounted for 93 percent with CDs falling to just 6 percent of all sales. Recent years have shown the increasing dominance of the downloadable format. When building an audiobook collection, primary factors to consider are formats and, of course, title selection. Take heart, even if you are not an audiobook listener, you can still navigate your way through the labyrinth and end up with soaring circulation statistics and, above all, happy patrons. Librarians may find the new availability of titles, formats, and audiobook vendors a bit overwhelming, not to mention having to provide audiobook recommendations. 2 With this increased popularity and a steady stream of new titles to select from, audiobook collections are enjoying a renaissance. Notably, the survey found that 43 percent of all listeners borrowed a title from the library and over half of the respondents said the library played an important part in audiobook discovery. 1 In 2017 alone, over 46,000 titles were produced on audio. The Audio Publishers Association (APA) conducts an annual survey tracking sales growth and other figures including formats and, for the past six years, has charted double-digit audiobook sales and production growth. No more should anyone fear hearing an accusatory “You didn’t actually read that book.” This change in perception and popularity is likely due to multiple factors, including the remarkable growth of the audiobook publishing industry over the last decade. Over recent years, a marvelous change has been occurring: audiobooks have at last fully broken into the mainstream consciousness and have become an accepted way of enjoying a book. Her “listening” skills go back to before becoming a librarian: she served in the US Army as a cryptologic linguist, which involved listening to and translating radio transmissions. Young is a former reviewer of audiobooks for Booklist, served as member and chair of Listen List Council of the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), and has presented on listener’s advisory at national conferences. She also suggests ways to promote your collection and help those you serve find great new “reads” in audiobook format. Renee Young, a Metadata Librarian III with EBSCO, offers some great advice for any librarian trying to build or improve their audiobook collection. With the wide availability of downloadable audiobooks, there is a huge opportunity for libraries to serve readers who would rather listen on their mobile devices. Renee Young is a Metadata Librarian III at NoveList.Ĭorrespondence concerning this column should be addressed to Mark Shores e-mail: issue’s Alert Collector offering on audiobooks is a departure from the usual subject-based column. Listen Up: Best Practices for Audiobooks in Libraries
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