Audiobooks have come far since the 1930s when government programs started offering "talking books" designed for blind readers.
The transition continued from cassettes to CDs and MP3 CDs to digital download formats.
Today, audiobooks benefit busy commuters, multitasking homemakers, children learning to read and improve comprehension, and those just wanting something to listen to while drifting off to sleep!
Free audiobook sources are as follows:
•Open Culture
•Books Should Be Free
•LibriVox
•Podiobooks
•Lit2Go
•Thought Audio
•Librophile
•Storynory
•Learn Out Loud
•The Internet Archive
The Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative also offers 538 audiobooks through OverDrive, U.S. public libraries' largest ebook vendor.
You may access the catalog from the "Search OCPLC eBooks" tab on our library home page, or go directly to http://okaloosa.lib.overdrive.com.
A new Overdrive help page gets you started with videos and device-specific information.
Sandra Dreaden is the Crestview Public Library's reference librarian.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Audiobooks abound online