Week 9- chronicle entry – Hanem Ibrahim

My Goal for this week is learning about the history of audiobooks.

Targeted information goals:
When was the first audio-book? And where?
How the audiobook developed over the years?
Are audio- books still having the same place among all the electronic books?
References

1- The History of Audiobooks (2009) Retrieved on Oct. 30 , 2009 . From

http://www.audiobookquest.com/article5.html
2- Distefano, Dorothy (2009) Electronic Readers Battle: Will Audio Books Be Included?
3- INDUSTRYDATA(2009) 2008 Sales and Consumer Survey .- retrieved on Oct.
30, 2009 from http://www.audiopub.org/resources-industry-data.asp
4- Freeland, S. (2007, January 2). The History of Electronic Books. Retrieved October 30,
2009, from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-of-Electronic-Books&id=401958

Summary

Audiobooks have a unique and fascinating history. Recordings of books in audio formats
have been around for a very long time. In 1933, anthropologist J.P. Harrington drove through
North America recording oral histories of Native American tribes on aluminum discs using a car-
powered turntable. The Library of Congress recordings made especially for the American
Foundation for the Blind were first introduced over a half century ago. And according to Robin
Whitten, the editor and founder of Audio File (the only magazine which is dedicated solely to the
audiobook industry), Caedmon (now a subsidiary of Harper Collins Publishers) can be credited
with having started the recordings of literature more than 50 years ago. Dylan Thomas was
persuaded to record some of his poetry. That happened on February 22nd., 1952. Those early
recordings were made into vinyl records, The transition of  book recordings into audiocassette
tapes happened in the late 1970's, It was not until the 1980s that there began a concerted effort to
attract book retailers. As publishers entered the field of spoken-word publishing, the transition to
book retailers carrying audiobooks became commonplace on bookshelves rather than in separate
displays, but it wasn't until the advent of CD technology that the audiobook phenomenon really
exploded. Now audiobook technology is transitioning yet again into downloadable digital
formats that can be listened to at your computer, transferred to a portable audio player, or burned
to a CD. Consumers are demanding ways to multi-task in our hectic world and today's
audiobooks allow readers to do that, at the same time preserving the oral tradition of storytelling
that J.P. Harrington pursued many years ago. (The History of Audiobooks , 2009)

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) released the results of Consumer Survey that’s
showed that 28 percent of adult respondents have listened to an audiobook in the last year,
showing a growth of three percent from the survey results in 2006, and a growing comfort with
the audio medium among a broadening base of users. This year’s Sales Survey showed a 12
percent increase over 2006, with audiobook sales now estimated at $1,033,760,000billion.
Thanks in part to blockbuster audiobook releases in 2007, the growth rate doubled since the
previous findings which showed a 6 percent increase from 2005.( INDUSTRYDATA, 2009) 

Rapid technological advancement in the last couple of decades led to many important
changes in all aspects of life. Technological evolution did not neglect to touch today’s readers as
well. In the ‘90s a new concept was born. Ebooks. History of the ebooks was shaped by the time
when they first appeared. In the fast paced busy world of corporate economies ebooks became a
way to make reading accessible to all. Digital files were easy to get either by downloading
straight from the web or by buying a copy of a CD with an electronic book, ready for you to
enjoy, encrypted on it. (Freeland, S., 2007).

With all of this development, there is not any word addressing audiobooks on eReaders. The
newest Kindle features text-to-speech, but this is an electronically voiced application. , then
narrated audiobooks will be offered for eReaders (Distefano, D., 2009)