Sound solutions: expanding access through digital audiobooks in an academic health sciences library

As digital audiobooks gain popularity among the general public, academic health sciences libraries have the opportunity to provide access to supplemental nonfiction titles in this format which while often found in public libraries has not been traditionally offered in this setting.

An academic health sciences library serving students and faculty in the colleges of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and public health piloted a collection of nonfiction health sciences audiobooks through OverDrive's Libby app. We launched an initial collection of over 500 titles using the cost per circ (CPC) pricing model, including a focus on four content areas: popular nonfiction, first person experiences, history of healthcare, and study helps. Over the first year of the project, we saw 123 total checkouts of 64 titles across 74 unique users, spending $351.84 US on CPC checkouts.

The OverDrive title library includes sufficient offerings for academic health sciences libraries to create targeted nonfiction audiobook collections. Challenges of which other libraries should be aware include planning budgets around adding funds each year and determining local workflows to keep the collection updated. Though usage was low in the first year, it was consistent and varied, making the project beneficial and sustainable.