All I can say is ... save us from American accents!!!
I don't know which is worse, the real readers or the electronic readers.
I chose a Shakepeare sonnet (no. 100) from the list in Project Gutenberg, to listen to a real voice. Poor Shakespeare. I cannot imagine he intended the sonnets to be read by a voice with a twang like that.
Having just attended the final five countdown concert for the ABC Classic FM's Top 100 Concerti, and listened to the wonderful Emperor Concerto which came in 1st, I chose to listen to something called "Beethoven the Man and the Music as Revealed in His Own Words" (not my capitals!) The mind boggles doesn't it? Poor old Beethoven speaking from the grave in an electronic voice. He discussed Bark and Mewssart and much more besides which I found extremely difficult to decipher. It was enough to put anyone off Beethoven for life.
I listened to both via Windows Media Player.
Until I actually listened to these pieces, I was excited by the concept of putting audiobooks on MP3 for patrons. Now I think we may possibly have a way to go before the patrons will want to know about them. If the quality is all like this the patrons will be scared off technology forever.
The list is incredibly unexciting too.
However, the principle is a great one. We clearly must find a new way to deliver sound and image via the public library if we want to stay relevant.
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