Audiobooks
also known as: Audio Books, Playaway, Playaways, Spoken Word, Spoken Word Cassette, Spoken Word CD, What are Playaways?.
Audiobooks, or spoken word books, are available in many titles for adults and children, on CD, tape and MP3 Playaway. Audiobooks are perfect for those with a busy lifestyle or who struggle to read printed books. They can be loaned for free for 3 weeks.
Our libraries now provide audiobooks in three
formats to suit your needs:
Click on one of the three options below to find out more.
If you need help with audiobooks or have any
questions then please ask a member of library staff
Spoken Word CD
The majority of books are now published in audio format as
well as printed.
Audiobooks are listed in the online catalogue as 'spoken word'
and they are free to borrow and can be borrowed just like a normal
book would be.
We have a wide variety of audiobooks available on CD at the
majority of our libraries.
If you want a spoken word CD that is not at your local library
you can 'place a hold' on (reserve) the item in the library
catalogue for free and it will be sent to the library which is
convenient for you.
Spoken Word CD Recommendations
Have a look below at just a small selection of the Spoken Word
CDs available:
Playaways
A Playaway is a pre-loaded digital
audio player.
These are compact, easy to use and portable so they can be taken
anywhere. Playaways do not need discs or downloads - just play and
go. All you need is an AAA battery.
Playaways are listed in the library catalogue with [electronic
resource] beside the title. In the record they state that the
material is 'spoken word: mp3'. Please note that Playaways will not
be shown under the 'spoken word' filter in the library
catalogue.
Playaways are available at most of our larger libraries
including Ashington, Berwick, Blyth, Cramlington, Hexham, Morpeth
and Ponteland.
If you want a Playaway that is not at your local library you can
'place a hold' on (reserve) the item in the library catalogue
for free and it will be sent to the library which is
convenient for you.
Playaway Recommendations
Have a look below at just a small selection of the playaways
available:
Click here to see all of our Playaways in the library
catalogue.
Spoken Word Cassette
A selection of our libraries have a small number of spoken word
cassettes available to be borrowed.
Libraries that Provide Audiobooks
Children's Audiobooks
We have more than 2,000 children's audiobooks.
They are available in all three formats - Spoken Word
CD, Playaway and Cassette.
Audiobooks are perfect for long car journeys, home use or
on a portable disc player, to keep the kids entertained for
hours.
You can borrow them in the same way as you would a
book.
If you want a childen's audiobook that is not at your
local library you can 'place a hold' on (reserve) the item in the
library catalogue for free and it will be sent to the library which
is convenient for you.
Children's Audiobooks Recommendations
Libraries that Provide Children's Audiobooks
Fees and Charges
It is free to borrow and reserve audiobooks
from Northumberland Libraries.
You can borrow an audiobook for 3 weeks.
Books and audiobooks can be renewed by telephone or online
five times. After the fifth renewal
you must bring it to the library. If the book
or audiobook is not reserved by someone
else you can take it out again.
| Overdue Adult Books and Audiobooks |
12p fine per day up to a maximum charge of
£5.76 |
| Overdue Concessions Adult Books and Audiobooks |
6p fine per day up to a maximum charge of
£2.88 |
| Overdue Children's Books and Children Audiobooks |
3p fine per day up to a maximum charge of
£1.44 (Please note if Children's Books are taken
out on an Adult 's Library card Adult charges will apply) |
Services for the Visually Impaired
Northumberland County Council has signed up to a six-step guide
to help support people with sight loss, working with organisations
such as RNIB, Calibre (which provides books in audio format) and
groups of visually impaired people, to find out what they wanted
from public libraries.
Click here for more information about our
libraries' services for the visually impaired.
