My Twenty-Third Post (but not my last!)

Well, this is a bittersweet moment - I've completed that last activity in the Learning 2.0 Program. It's been such a fun learning experience!

The last activity I had to do was to investigate E-audio books. This is such a fantastic and innovative resource for the public library, providing 24/7 access at home, at work, even when travelling. They can be read or listened to on portable players such as PDAs or MP3 players. In terms of collection management, content costs between 35-50% less than traditional formats and have no replacement costs as there are no cassettes or discs to be lost or damaged.

I had a look at ACT library which was one of the first public libraries in Australia to have an extensive e-audio book collection.

Harris County Public Library in Texas, have a fantastic catalogue set up to browse their e-audio book collections.

I suppose some issues that a library needs to consider are:

• Will the library be providing the hardware (ie/ Ipods)
• Who will pay for the replacement of a lost or stolen device?
  Most of the devices run on AA batteries-- should a spare battery be provided by the library?
• Where will the needed staff time to load content on to the devices be found? Is this an easy enough task for patrons to do themselves?

Hopefully we will have e-audio books here at Bayside before too long!

So, the last thing I need to consider with this program is how to continue on with my blog - what direction should I take it. So I will ask the readers: How do you think I should continue my blog? Please leave a comment.

While you have a think about that, check out this fantastic blog A Librarian's Guide To Etiquette. Great tips and points to consider when dealing with our borrowers!!!

Phew - I think that was my longest post!