Talking books are books that have been read on to standard cassette tapes or compact discs, usually by a famous actor/actress or other media personality. They are invaluable to anyone who, for whatever reason, is unable to read a book for themselves. They can also help to pass the time on long car journeys.
An enormous number of books are now available as talking books. They include both fiction and non-fiction. Performers range from Jeffrey Archer to Emile Zola. Children's talking books are also available, including storybooks, nursery rhymes and songs.
A small charge is made for this service:
| Library user |
Charge |
| Registered blind or print disabled people and users of the Home Library Service. |
Free |
| Concessionary borrowers (including under 19s and over 60s) |
40p per item for a three week loan |
| Non concessionary borrowers |
90p per item for a three week loan |
Talking books are continually added to stock, with approximately 1,000 new titles bought each year. For recently added titles see New stock additions to the audio-visual collection
If the title you want is not currently in the library you can always reserve it for a small charge.
Playaway: the new kind of talking book
Our talking book service is much loved by many of our readers and very important to them. We know, however, that some people find handling a number of tapes or discs awkward, particularly if they suffer from arthritis or visual impairment. It can also be difficult to keep tapes or discs in the right order, or to pause a book in exactly the right place.
There is now a new digital format called Playaway. This is a pre-loaded MP3 player, and much smaller and lighter than other types of talking book.
It may take us a while to build up a collection of titles, and to start with they will probably only be available in bigger libraries. However, you will be able to request titles from your local branch, or online.
As with most new formats, the publishers are starting small and producing a few titles at a time. At the same time, they will reduce what they publish in the other formats.
We will still buy some books on CD, and keep a small collection on tape as well. We will therefore see our collection of MP3 books build up gradually, and our books on tape and CD dwindle.
You do not need to have used an MP3 player before to use one. You don't need any extra equipment either, as we can provide you with earphones, which just plug into the Playaway. It is very easy to get the hang of, once you have given it a try.
You can also plug the Playaway into a small set of speakers (the kind used with a personal computer, for example) which can be purchased quite cheaply, or use it in the car if you have a radio frequency MP3 converter. There are some useful features such as different narration speeds, and a 'bookmark' function.
We think this could be one of the best things that has happened to talking books for a long time. Once you have tried the Playaway, you might well become a convert, as there are no tapes or discs to change; and you won't need a very big bag to carry several of them home!
If you would like more information about this service please ask the staff at your local library or contact North Lincolnshire Central Library on 01724 860161. You can also email us at library.enquiries@northlincs.gov.uk