Removing Audiobook Compact Discs from ICPL

By the end of December 2024, the Iowa City Public Library will no longer have books on compact disc in our collection. It is difficult to let a part of our collection go and we’ve struggled making this decision for several years. But we were moved to make this decision now for a few reasons:  

Publishers do not make compacts discs anymore. Many books on compact disc publishers are no longer in business, no longer sell their titles to public libraries, or exclusively make digital audiobooks. We don’t have a lot of options when it comes to purchasing new compact discs for the library.

We can no longer keep up the quality of this collection. Our compact disc collection is aging. Keeping them on the shelf is costly as we need to replace damaged discs or cases. We can no longer repair scratched discs and cannot keep items in good condition. With deteriorating compact discs, we cannot guarantee that you’ll be able to listen to the book because the quality is poor.

Most people now use digital audiobooks. Digital audiobooks are by far our most popular audio format. In the last ten years, they saw a 700% increase, while books on compact discs saw a 91% decline. This difference is the most crucial factor in moving away from compact discs. Both formats are very expensive to buy and we need to focus our budget on what people are using. Over the last year, books on disc only made up 0.04% of what was used in our collection.

While we will not have compact discs here, you do have options for listening to books:  

Try our digital audiobooks through Libby. We have over 16,000 audio titles (and growing!) in the Libby app. You’ll find the newest and most popular books from Colleen Hoover to Kristin Hannah to James Patterson. We’ve helped many people make the switch to Libby and they are very happy with how easy it is to use and find books they like. We are happy to help get the Libby app on your phone or tablet. You can also stream on your computer. Visit us at the Information Desk or Bookmobile for help. You are also welcome to attend a digital audiobook class.

You can also try hoopla, another digital collection. Selection is more limited than Libby, but you will find solid picks for thriller and romance reads.  

Get started with Libby.

Get started with hoopla.

Other audio options. Our children’s collection has hundreds of jRead-Alongs in picture books, readers, and chapter books. These books have both printed text and an attached audio reader.

Borrow it from another library. We can borrow books on compact disc through other libraries in the country using the interlibrary loan program. They will ship us the compact disc and we will loan it to you. Fill out a title request to borrow. 

If you have a low vision, a vision disability, a physical disability, or a reading disability, you may be eligible to receive books and other materials from the Iowa Department for the Blind. They offer a variety of ways to listen to books. Contact the Iowa Department for the Blind at 1-800-362-2587, option 2 to learn more about their services.

For more information about your options for listening to books, please contact the library through Ask a Librarian or call us at 319-356-5200.