Delawareans Get Free Audiobook Downloads from Their Libraries!
Delaware libraries are working to make audiobooks accessible for all Delaware residents.
At a glance, reading is seen as an easy, accessible hobby that almost anyone can enjoy.
While that’s mostly true when reading is approached the right way, there are several roadblocks that can interfere with finding joy in reading a book.
People who live in remote areas may need to travel in order to reach a library. Purchasing books (audio or otherwise) can become incredibly costly. Working professionals, busy parents, and students may not have the luxury of free time to invest in reading. Individuals with disabilities may struggle to find accommodations that allow them to enjoy the process.
Because Delaware Libraries has made audiobooks more accessible to the public, many of the above-mentioned challenges might not stand in the way anymore.
Delaware Libraries and Audiobooks
Delaware Libraries brought reading into the modern era by introducing a more productive way to consume literary content. In addition to releasing e-books for library patrons to download, Delaware Libraries is also offering free audiobooks for patrons to use.
While there’s something incredibly special about visiting your local library in person, many people don’t have the time or reliable transportation available. When in the past, they’d miss out on the opportunity to broaden their horizons, Delaware’s libraries of today bridged the gap between busy residents and access to reading new material.
Libraries all over Delaware now offer an array of audiobook titles, which patrons can check out and download for free using one of a few free audiobook apps. There’s no longer a requirement to pay for audiobook streaming services, cut time out of a person’s busy schedule, or struggle through otherwise limiting circumstances. Now, Delaware residents can access their favorite titles, download them for free, and consume audio content in any way they want.
Benefits of Audiobook Downloads
On top of the convenience of having audiobook options available, Delaware Libraries and the technological advancements they’ve implemented stand to present even wider benefits.
Such benefits include the following.
- Increased Accessibility:
The growing popularity of audiobooks has increased accessibility to literature. Plenty of people have trouble reading traditional print or digital book copies due to circumstances out of their control. Visual impairments, trouble focusing, ocular conditions, and learning disabilities like dyslexia previously interfered with a person’s ability to read books. Listening to audiobooks can make it easier for individuals with disabilities to enhance their literacy skills.
- Boosts in Productivity:
The average adult or teenager may not have adequate time allotted to sit down and read a traditional book due to the busy schedule they maintain. Listening to an audiobook can boost one’s productivity by allowing them to take care of other tasks while listening to audio content. People can commute to and from work, clean their homes, prepare food, and handle other daily processes while listening to an audiobook. This format makes it easy to accomplish two tasks at a time.
- Stress Reduction:
Listening to an audiobook presents some of the same stress-reduction benefits as reading a printed book. Immersing oneself in a particular story can make it easier to wind down after a long day and get lost in a world inspired by literary creativity.
OverDrive & Hoopla
Delaware residents who are interested in downloading and listening to audiobooks can do so for free using one of the free apps available on the Apple and Android stores, or various web browsers.
OverDrive, the state’s online library platform, has produced an app called Libby, which allows library patrons to access free audiobooks. Simply download the app on either your phone, tablet, or computer and create an account using the credentials on your library card.
Explore the titles in your library’s collection and download the audiobooks you’re interested in. On top of the ease of access audiobooks provide, each title is automatically returned to the library by the time the due date approaches. This way, patrons never have to worry about incurring a late fee.
Hoopla is an online tool that library patrons can use to check out various digital formats from their local library. The options don’t begin and end with audiobooks, either. Patrons can borrow movies, music pieces, TV shows, magazines, e-books, and more.
Reading should be accessible for everyone, regardless of what they have going on in their daily lives. Consuming literature or other forms of information is an essential part of the learning experience. By expanding the formats available to Delaware residents, more people can take part in reading and learning new skills than ever before.
If you want to get back into reading, there’s no time like the present. Check out the offerings presented by your local library and go on a literary journey again.
SOURCES
https://medium.com/everylibrary/libraries-make-audiobooks-more-accessible-than-ever-4bfe04c0f7a3?source=collection_home---4------0----------------------- https://medium.com/everylibrary/you-never-have-to-pay-for-a-digital-book-again-c51a6410b64?source=collection_home---4------2-----------------------
https://answers.delawarelibraries.org/faq/48646