Why audio books

My parents always read to me. Fairy tales, mythology, mostly where my father was concerned it was what interested him. Still I loved it. "Reading" a book by listening to it is a necessity to me.
The hour a day I spend commuting is spent listening to a book. Very often books I would not have time to read in the evening. I love audio books. I remember the storylines better. Occasionally I will listen to one a second time.

So why audio books. Well I always say that I can tell a kid who reads above her grade level. She knows the words but not always how to pronouce them. Listening to a wonderful reader, you just absorb pronounciation, cadence, the whole language. Studies have shown that kids with dyslexia and other learning disabilities are often severely disadvantaged in school. Leonardo da Vinci, George Patton, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Henry Ford, W.B. Yeats and many many more were dyslexic. We do not know what efforts were necessary for them to compensate. We do know studies show that listening to audio books allows struggling students to advance and advanced students to soar.

The Mendocino County Library is dedicated to reading. We offer books, books on cassette, books on cd and downloadable books with only a Mendocino County Library card. Check out our catalog at http:www.mendolibrary.org
Then choose the search catalog tab on the left.
Then choose the advanced search tab above.
Choose a subject, an author, keywords and then limit below to books on cassette or cd.

Scroll down our front page until you come to Downloadable Audiobooks.
Download the necessary software.
Choose iPod or MP3 format. You then download to your computer and upload to your players.

There are also sites where you may download free audio books.
AudioBooksforFree.com
Librevox.org
ProjectGutenberg
Literalsystems.org

I am told on iTunes, there is a section called iTunesU (University) where you can download lectures. My friend was listening to a history lecture given by a professor from Stanford.
Free I am told. Check it out!

Eliza