Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Playaways are Here!





EPHRATA PUBLIC LIBRARY WRITES NEW CHAPTER IN CONVENIENCE, OFFERS PRE-LOADED PLAYAWAY® DIGITAL AUDIO BOOKS TO PATRONS

Each Palm-Sized Unit is Permanently Loaded with an Audio Book to Make Listening as Simple as Pressing a Button; Bestselling Titles Available

Ephrata Public LIbrary is now offering Playaway – the first self-playing digital audio book – in their library, adding the innovative digital format to their existing audio book collection.

Not an MP3 or CD player and not software, Playaway is the self-contained audio equivalent of a book. Half the size of a deck of cards, Playaway is packaged with earphones, a lanyard and a standard AAA battery to allow for immediate listening. Using clearly marked buttons, Playaway gives listeners the option of placing digital bookmarks and controlling the speed of a narrator’s voice, all while easily moving both forward and back through audio book selections that can range from six to twenty-four hours. Additionally, Playaway has a universal headphone jack that works with almost any type of headphone or mobility accessory.

Playaway currently has licensing agreements with several leading publishers and content owners, including HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Penton Overseas, Brilliance Audio, Blackstone Audio, Franklin Covey, Random House and Recorded Books. Playaway’s audio book collection currently totals more than 120 titles.

Each Playaway title is available in secure, protective casing specifically designed to meet library needs.

“With Playaway, we set out to create a product that was portable, technologically simple and easy to use, and it’s been a perfect fit for libraries,” said Christopher Celeste, President, Findaway World. “Through new title acquisition and program initiatives, we look forward to greatly expanding our library program capabilities.“

Playaways are currently located on the new bestsellers shelf directly in front of the circulation desk.

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