So, I’ve been lurking for awhile, and have finally decided to get my feet wet. Fair warning – I am a talker, so I hope you all don’t drown.
I am currently working on some ideas for focusing on one of our underserved populations, seniors, and am convinced that Playaways would be a good investment for this population. For those of you not familiar with these devices, they are basically MP3 players preloaded with an audiobook title. Although they can be pricey, I think these little babies would be great for seniors: they do not involve downloading or computers, do not involve keeping track of dozens of CDs, and are easy to use. (The military is even using these to boost morale among soldiers – what a great way to promote “reading”, too!)
My questions for our collective brain are these:
- How many of you offer Playaways in your library?
- What are some of your security issues?
- How do you deal with the repair/replacement of ear buds and batteries?
- How are patrons liking them, compared to books on CD?
Can’t wait to hear from you (and I’m sure I’ll be back to post and comment, as well!).
Filed under: New Ideas, Recent News
I have not use Playaways, but use mp3 players that way. I have mp3 players in the library for checkout to students. The way it has worked so far has been that a student comes in and wants to listen to a book they are reading in class. If it is available as a eaudiobook I download it for them and show them how to listen. So essentially I am using it just like a playaway.
I have had experience with Playaways in a larger library and now a small branch library. Patrons love these once they learn about them! Especially the audiobook listeners! No changing discs or cassettes no need to download and transfer to an mp3. Older & younger patrons like them because they’re easy to use. I think that if they are marketed in a similar way and place as traditional audibooks they will continue to rise in popularity.
There are over 150 Playaways in the Lynx! Consortium–Nampa public library and Ada Community libraries own them. My guess is that Boise public does too.
In terms of replacement batteries, I know that batteries tend to be supplied by the library. Earphones–I’m not sure what the policies are– I would assume that they are counted as a missing part if they are not returned with the Playaway, then if they aren’t returned a fee is assessed that would cover the purchase of replacement.
Security–I know that some libraries use the old VHS security cases for them as they are the same size.