New additions include Playaways, audiobooks ideal for walkers

The Marshall Public Library has received lots of new books this month.

In addition to regular books, we have a new set of Playaways. Playaways are unabridged audiobooks contained in a package about the size of a cigarette pack. You can plug in your own earphones or use a device in your car to listen on the go.

Playaways are especially great for walkers and joggers, very lightweight.

There are no cassettes or CDs to lose or misplace. Nothing to download--just listen to a favorite book.

A few of the new titles are Peter Carey's "The Chemistry of Tears" (historical fiction); Mary Balogh's "The Proposal" (a romance); "Shadow of Night", by Deborah Harkness (Fantasy); and "A Conspiracy of Friends", a mystery by Alexander McCall Smith.

Another recent acquisition is a series of Great Lecture courses. There are ten courses on compact disk, with eight discs in each course lasting a total of six hours. Learn about the lives of the great master composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Stravinsky, and Beethoven and hear their music. The Great Lecture courses are a good entertaining way to continue your education.

A new report released this week by the Pew Internet and American Life Project confirms the importance of libraries to Americans. The Pew survey shows that public libraries continue to be strong in America, with 60 percent of those surveyed having some interaction with a library in the past 12 months, and 91 percent saying that "public libraries are important to their communities."

African-American and Hispanic-heritage Americans are especially likely to feel libraries are important, and are eager for new services.

Online:
www.marshallmolibrary.org