Audiobooks & book clubs: Perfect partners
Posted by: Mary Burkey
Tradition meets technology. In this busy world, it’s heartening to see the continued (and growing) popularity of good old fashioned book discussion groups. I can’t help but wonder if the expanding world of literature-to-go has added to the boom – no matter what container carries the author’s words. Today’s commute warriors find comfort in downloaded Regency romance, and frequent flyers escape into flights of fantasy on their MP3 players. How can librarians welcome these listeners into discussion groups? Try the tips in my Voices in My Head column in the January Booklist Magazine. Plus, you’ll find links to a sampling of some innovative & exciting programing below. And I am sure there are plenty of readers who have developed or participated in other great examples! Please leave a comment sharing your great ideas for ways to include all literature lovers in spreading the good word 
Innovative programs:
Coos Bay (OR) Audio Book Club: http://coosbayaudiobookclub.org/
Memorial Hall Library Online Book Club (Andover, MA): http://www.mhl.org/booktalk/
Skokie (IL) Library Talking Book Discussion Group: http://www.skokielibrary.info/s_about/SALS.asp#bookchat
ListenIllinois One State One Listen: http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/il-talk_nfbnet.org/2006-April/003772.html
Cuyahoga County (OH) Online & Audio Book Discussions: http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/WhatToReadBackPage.aspx?id=328
New York (NY) Online Book Discussion: http://drupal02.nypl.org/blogs/subject/online-book-discussion
Westwood Library (MA) YA Not-Just-Books Club blog: http://westwoodyoungadultbookclub.blogspot.com/
Lexington (KY) Public Library Large Print/Audio Book Discussion: http://www.lexpublib.org/page/large-printaudio-book-discussion-programs-and-bifolkal-remembering-programs
Oregon State University Mastery of Aging Well Audio Book Club: http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/agingwell/2009/09/17/audio-book-clubs/
Canada Reads: http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/
Parent & Child Audiobook Car Club suggestions:
History on the Highway http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklinks/resources/history_highway.pdf
Guys & Spies / Girl Talk http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklinks/resources/vimh1108.pdf
Online Audiobook Discussion:
Slate Magazine’s Audio Book Club (discussions you can downwload and listen to – not audiobook specific): http://www.slate.com/id/2137229/
Audiobooks Diversions Listserve: http://list.audiodiversions.com/mailman/listinfo/audiobooks_list.audiodiversions.com
Check audiobook publisher websites for online blogs & discussion opportunities
Listening clubs for patrons with low vision:
BookShare: bookshare.org
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped: http://www.loc.gov/nls/10squared/index.html
Evaluation & Criteria Tips:
Listening with a Critical Ear Pt. 1
Listening with a Critical Ear pt. 2
Audiobook Lexicon: Talking the Talk: An Audiobook Lexicon
I’m looking forward to learning about more great ideas from your comments!
January 8th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
[...] Join the audiobook club! Gets tips on welcoming listeners to your book club or starting an audiobook-only group here. [...]
January 11th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Wow, thanks for the lists.
January 16th, 2010 at 1:19 am
Talk about timing. We just launched an audiobook Book Club on our Open Book Audio Podcast this week. I agree. I think they’re a great fit. We’re aiming for one audiobook every couple of months. Here’s to hoping it ends up as fun as we hope it will!
January 21st, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Wow – Thanks for passing along the info on your Audiobook Club Matt. Check out http://www.openbookaudio.com/
February 19th, 2010 at 6:22 am
[...] friending this UK audiobook publisher to track this audiobooks & book clubs [...]
March 28th, 2010 at 7:06 am
Thanks for the list. I am an avid audio book listener and enjoy listening as much as reading. To all your readers I would suggest “Outliers: The Story of Success” it is a great listen.
November 5th, 2010 at 6:39 am
[...] Kaite Stover, and I’ve featured the perfect partnership between audiobooks & book groups in this post. Now Macmillian has kicked off a Facebook discussion of Jonathan Franzen’s [...]