SAXTON B. LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
319 Route 87 Columbia, CT 06237
Phone: 860 228 0350 Fax: 860 228 1569 E-mail: staff@columbiactlibrary.org

Monday, Friday, Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Home Adult Services* Library Services Children's Corner Hot Spot (for Teens)

Home

About the Saxton B.

Library Board

Friends of the Library
(updated 4/08)

Online Library Catalog

iConn.org

Event Calendar

Contact Us

Library Passes

Links

Diary of Saxton B. Little

Comments

Speaking Volumes

Keeping you up-to-date on what's happening at your library. We invite you to join in the conversation!
JULY 14, 2010
Happy Audio Book Month!
Yes, June is Audio Book Month.  While it feels like it’s been the recent past that audio books have taken off, they really have a long history, at least in some form.  As early as 1933   anthropologist J.P. Harrington was driving around the country recording oral histories of Native American tribes.  Granted this was not a cd, but recordings on aluminum discs using a car-powered turntable.  Still, it is technically and audio book.

The Library of Congress recordings made especially for the American Foundation for the Blind were also introduced over a half century ago.  And according to Robin Whitten, the editor and founder of AudioFile (the only magazine which is dedicated solely to the audio book industry), a small New York publisher called Caedmon started recording the audio of noted authors and poets during the 1950's.
 
Like music, early recordings were made into vinyl records, later came a transition to audiocassette tapes in the late 1970’s.  Audio books really took off with the advent of the cd and now, we also have mp3, downloadables, and playaways.
 
I still have trouble thinking of audio books as “reading,”  but they sure make long car trips much better.
 
Here in the library we have over 1500 audio books, come check one out!


Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Su

-------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe via RSS
Search

Categories