Post #2 - Web 2.0 - LibriVox

An interesting bit of Web 2.0 that I have recently come across and adored is LibriVox.  In an age where almost every student is carrying a mobile device, LibriVox helps breathe some new life into some old, dusty texts.  Their mission statement (or, as they call it, theirobjective) is "to make all books in the public domain available, for free, in audio format on the internet."  They rely strongly on the help of volunteers to act as readers.
Of course, the quality is a little less perfection than professionally produced audiobooks, but the price (free) makes a few hiccups in the pronunciation of an archaic English term not so horribly incapacitating.  As for using it in a library setting, I can imagine that as a librarian, I may be able to stir the hearts of a few of my students, at the very least, to reach out to older books that may have not been already recorded, or find a favorite book and record it.  I can also imagine this being a project I could coordinate with English teachers that are teaching plays;  what could be more fun than having each student record their assigned lines and then the class reading along?  There are opportunities here for students that are interested in the technological aspect of digital media as well; how do you join together the audio files? How do you ensure that volume is consistent? What equipment do you use to record?
I think that this would be a great way to connect students not only with the source material but also with the community of readers and voices at LibriVox. There are lists, as well, of popular and enjoyed books (to help sift through the 7,000+ books LibriVox has for an example to use in class). At GoodReads, there is a thread dedicated to listing users' favorite LibriVox recordings.  It also talks about what some of the listeners enjoy, or do not enjoy, about the voices. It is a great read.  http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/104911-librivox-book-discussion

Viewer Comments:

WENDY PRICE, 2/10/2014 4:30 PM: Librivox

This is great, Tracey. I have never heard of this before.  I can see how some students would love to be able to say that they recorded a book.
2/10/14

KINSI NEAR, 2/15/2014 12:23 PM: In the classroom

I love the idea of students recording their portions of a play. Many students are intimidated by reading aloud in class, but speaking is often part of the class standards. This would allow students to rehearse and record rather than risk making a mistake in class. Excellent!