Talking About Talking Books

Late last year I had to drive to Auckland on my own so I took a selection of talking books with me to listen to on the way. These proved to be a great distraction, so much so that I became keen to get back in the car after a break so I could get on with the story. Talking books, or audio books as they are also known, are a growing part of our collection here at Masterton Library and are a great way of experiencing a book when you aren’t actually able to read it.

Talking books are books that have been recorded in an audio format, usually read aloud by a voice actor but sometimes by the book’s author. Many of our older talking books are still in the format of audio cassettes but more and more are being produced on compact disc. This includes compressed MP3 discs which can allow for a whole book to be captured on one disc. We also have downloaded a number of talking books on to a dedicated computer so they can be loaded directly on to a MP3 player.

Talking books started to emerge in the 1930s when they were used primarily as a way to provide people with sight impairments with access to the world of literature. In the 1980s the economic potential of audio books began to be realised and book retailers started stocking them on their shelves. Although the higher costs of producing a talking book and the reduced economies of scale mean they are typically more expensive than traditional books, they are becoming an increasingly popular option.

Today paper and audio editions of some of the biggest books and authors are published simultaneously. Some people have used both audio and paper versions of a book at the same time as a way of learning a new language, and even by people who have had a cochlear implant and are relearning how to hear. Talking books are occasionally abridged versions of the original story but if this is the case it should be indicated on the cover.

There is an expanding range of material available on talking books at the library including titles aimed at children, teens, and adults. There are fiction titles from a variety of genres such as fantasy, thrillers, romance and family sagas, and from authors ranging from Agatha Christie to Patricia Cornwell, Jules Verne to Penny Vincenzi. There are also a large number of non-fiction items available including travel accounts and biographies of people ranging from Carol Burnett to Laura Bush.

Talking books are obviously still of immense value to those with impaired sight and Masterton residents with sight impairments can borrow from our talking book collection at no charge. They are also becoming popular with other groups of people, commuters for example who listen to them on the train or in the car. Others like to listen to them in the home while they go about their daily activities. For general borrowers of talking books there is a charge of $3 per item and they are issued for three weeks.

On an unrelated note, last week saw the retirement of a long standing member of library staff, Paul Cooper. Paul has been working at the library for 14 years and has become something of an institution at the returns desk every afternoon. Many members of the public have come to rely on Paul for his book recommendations, particularly those with an interest in crime fiction, and we are all going to miss his contribution to the library. All the best for the future Paul, enjoy your well-earned retirement and we hope you will still be a frequent visitor to the library, particularly if you have some book recommendations to share with us.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library