This directory of free audio books is a nice little gem to know about. The selection is obviously limited by copyright and the fact that there is no money coming in to support production, but nevertheless a useful collection. Knowing that these books are available freely means we can direct library users there if we don't have the audio book on CD/tape (or even if we do). Some people may prefer to download an mp3 than to listed to CDs or cassettes.
Compared to the human voice files, there are a huge number of computer generated voice files. I tried one to see what the voice was like and I don't think I could bear it. It was very clearly computer generated. Of course, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
On the other hand I listened to human voice recording of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. I've never really listened to audio books and it was quite fun to sit and have a book read to me.
Having audio books available online is a clear area that libraries could and should be looking into. There is technology around to look after the digital rights management side of things, like files that stop working at the end of the loan period. How nice would it be for a users to be able to get a new audio book from us even when in the middle of their holiday at Noosa?
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