Discontinuing Physical Audiobooks
As a reminder from our earlier announcement about the expansion of our ebook and digital audiobook collection through Bridges, and the addition of the Library of Things collection at all three Davenport Public Library locations, and in alignment with our Collection Development Policy, starting on June 30th Davenport Public Library ceased purchasing physical audiobooks for our collection. Starting in September we will begin removing physical audiobooks from the collection at all three buildings.
This was a difficult decision to make and was arrived at due to the following factors:
- Usage of our physical audiobooks has steadily decreased in recent years – in the last five years alone, the number of checkouts has plummeted by 56%. This is in stark contrast to our digital audiobook usage, where circulation trends upward every year with increases as high as 36%.
- Availability of physical audiobooks has also decreased over the years, as most BOCD publishers are no longer even in business and others do not make titles available for libraries to purchase.
- Cost of physical audiobooks has increased over time and provides less access than digital titles; the funds we were spending on physical audiobooks can now be reallocated to give the community access to over 20,000 digital audiobooks through the Bridges consortium in the Libby app, specifically requested in our last community survey.
- Space can now be allocated to new collections requested on our most recent community survey, such as the upcoming Library of Things.
We understand that the removal of physical audiobooks may pose challenges. For patrons who want to continue listening to audiobooks, there are alternatives available:
- Digital audiobooks through Libby, which can be accessed on your phone, tablet, or computer.
- Interactive storybooks on Tumble Book Library, available through our website.
- Vox and Wonder Books, picture books with built-in audio for an immersive experience.
- If you have a low vision, a vision disability, a physical disability, or a reading disability, you may be eligible to receive books and other materials from the Iowa Department for the Blind. They offer a variety of ways to listen to books. Contact the Iowa Department for the Blind at 1-800-362-2587, option 2 to learn more about their services.
Thank you for your patience as we navigate these changes.