NoveList® has expanded its readers’ advisory resources by including new tools for listeners’ advisory. NoveList, a division of EBSCO Information Services, will now offer audiobook recommendations through NoveList Plus®, and has also enhanced the user interfaces of all of its products.
NoveList is a trusted source for recommendations and readers’ advisory expertise for print books and now will apply that same expertise to audiobooks in NoveList Plus. The new audiobook features include lists of recommended titles and listen-alike recommendations. Users can browse or search for audiobook information and will have search options for length of audio, format and audio characteristics. Listeners will be able to access audio samples to hear previews and get reviews from trusted professional review sources, including Audiofile.
As part of the release, NoveList developed new appeal language to help describe the unique characteristics of audiobooks. Descriptive terms like ‘sound effects,’ ‘read by the author,’ or ‘folksy,’ help listeners determine whether an audiobook is one they will enjoy. NoveList also uses the appeal terms to help create listen-alike recommendations.
Vice President of NoveList, Duncan Smith, says that the inclusion of audiobooks fills a need for librarians. “It used to be such a challenge for librarians to answer patron questions about audiobooks. Our customers started asking us if we could help them discover audiobooks the same way that we were doing for print titles, and this release addresses this need. This new content will really help librarians expand their readers’ advisory expertise in audio.”
NoveList Plus users will start receiving audiobook recommendations automatically as part of the spring release. At the same time, the interfaces for NoveList Plus, NoveList, NoveList K-8 Plus, and NoveList K-8 will be upgraded to improve functionality. The layout will now consist of two columns instead of the previous three, and the toolbar across the top has new categories and options. In addition, there is an improved autocomplete function in the search box to make it easier find what is being searched for by putting in partial titles, author names, or genres.
For more information about the NoveList Plus audiobook recommendations, go to: http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/our-products/audiobook-recommendations and to learn more about NoveList products, visit: http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist.
