Lions clubs in Spruce View, Sylvan Lake, Alix, Cremona and Rocky Mountain House contributed $3,680 for purchase of eAudiobooks by Parkland Regional Library.
As a result, 95 new titles have been added to the collection that is available to library patrons across the region, including through Sylvan Lake Municipal Library.
As the Lions Clubs are ardent supporters of providing services to aid the visually impaired, they answered the call for donations in a big way, according to Meredith Bratland, the library’s communications coordinator.
The new eAudiobooks compliment the shared collection of large print and audio books, which are valuable resources for the visually impaired and print disabled.
In their electronic format, they can be listened to on a variety of devices from personal computers to smartphones.
“There is high demand for eAudiobooks in our region, indicated Bratland in a news release. “Sadly, near the end of 2011, the collection became extremely limited due to the subscription being withdrawn by the publisher and our own regional collection dropped from 2,000 titles down to 50. With the Lions Clubs’ donations, Parkland Regional Library is one step closer to our goal of expanding the collection back to its former glory. Currently, we have 1,250 titles.”
She added, demand for eAudiobooks keeps growing. “Last year alone, 5,077 titles were accessed by patrons.”
An eAudiobook costs an average of $38 per title.