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February 1, 2008

Libraries sound death knell for books on cassette

Stacie N. Galang

The cassette tape -- once the preferred medium for car tunes and underground '80s punk rock -- had been living out a modest retirement, working occasionally in libraries as audiobooks.

Now, newer, flashier media like downloadable books, combined with changing listening habits, are sending the cassette into obsolescence. Libraries are scorning cassettes as they would a poorly plotted romance novel.

"We're letting them die their own slow death," said Nancy Tracy, Salem assistant library director. "We're not selling them off. We're just letting them naturally die out."

For a while, taped audiobooks kept pace with books on CD, now the most popular format for library-going commuters. But as car manufacturers abandoned the cassette player, tapes began circulating less.

In Peabody, the main library started selling off half its collection two weeks ago for $2 apiece. The remaining cassettes will be sold off over time or tossed when they are no longer useable.

"Newer cars don't even have cassettes," said Kelley Rae Unger, Peabody's adult services librarian.

Unger hopes to see newer technology in her library. The Peabody Institute Library, like its counterparts, is trying to adapt to both the technology and the ever-changing needs and interests of its patrons.

"I look forward to seeing what happens," she said.

In Salem, librarians haven't ordered new books on tape for more than a year. The Salem Public Library started offering downloadable audiobooks from its Web site a year ago. It's been slow to take off, Tracy said.

Danvers librarians recently decided they would no longer order taped books.

"We're not adding to the books on tape at all at this stage in the game," library director Douglas Rendell said. "If tapes are damaged, the items are discarded."

Rendell said the library has cycled through its share of audio and is poised to offer downloadable books.

"We've gone from the books on tape to books on CD, and we do have a meeting in the next couple of weeks with a vendor to download it for patrons," he said. "So that will be our next step."

Beverly library director Patricia Cirone said the books on tape are still going out, though not nearly as they used to.

"We're doing what I call normal attrition," she said. "We don't have any plans to decimate the system."

If circulation numbers dip, they may change their mind, Cirone said.

She said many book publishers aren't offering books on tape with new releases. She said the Beverly library was one of the first in the area to offer downloadable audio in June 2006.

"It started out a little slowly, and then just rapidly grew," Cirone said.

She said the Beverly library has seen a boost in online services. The library also offers a popular downloadable language series and the Bible.

The Beverly library averages about 100 downloads a month or about 800 since the start of the fiscal year July 1, Cirone said.

"I think it's a great advance in the technology not dealing with cassettes or CDs that get lost, scratched or broken," said Ronald Gagnon, executive director of the North of Boston Library Exchange.

The 28-member library network looked at adopting a downloadable book service but ultimately couldn't commit because the two main vendors don't support technology from Apple.

"So it's tough," Gagnon said. "People can buy (audiobooks) on their own but the iPod providers aren't open to the library market."

The technology allows more users to access their local library from the comfort of their own home, Gagnon said. Nevertheless, patrons are still availing themselves of the actual branches.

"Libraries are still busy places, doing a lot more than they ever did supporting reading and information," Gagnon said.



Stacie N. Galang writes for The Salem News in Salem, Mass. Write to her at sgalang@salemnews.com.

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