Watzek Library's collection of audiobooks is small, but we can frequently help you find free options elsewhere. Literary works and popular/general interest nonfiction are most likely to be available in an audiobook format. Textbooks tend not to be available as audiobooks. Contact librarian@lclark.edu for help searching.
Most of Watzek's ebooks and electronic articles should be compatible with text-to-speech applications. Text-to-speech (TTS) applications read texts aloud in a computer-generated voice. Two popular options, NaturalReader and Speechify, offer free versions. Mac computers have a built-in text-to-speech function.
For information about academic accommodations, please contact the Office of Student Accessibility (access@lclark.edu).
Multnomah County Library
The public library for our county offers a wide array of downloadable/streamable audiobooks through Overdrive, which may be used with the Libby app. Multnomah County Library's collection includes fiction and nonfiction, abridged and unabridged versions, titles for adults and children, and some titles in languages other than English. Ebooks are also available. Please note that wait times may be considerable for more popular items.
Watzek and Summit
Watzek has a small number of audiobooks on CD—mostly classic literature with a few more popular titles. If you find an audiobook that is available at Watzek, please ask for it at the Check Out desk.
A much larger pool of audiobooks on CD may be requested through Summit.
- Audiobooks on CD available through Summit (includes Watzek options)Search for a specific author or title by entering your terms in the empty box of the search form.
CD/DVD drives may be borrowed from the Check Out desk for three-day loans.
Audiobook Database
In the case of older, classic texts, you may be able to find a recording through Watzek's audiobook database. A few examples of available titles are Republic, The Faerie Queene, The Prince, Walden, Moby Dick, and The Divine Comedy. Unabridged audio performances also exist for most of Shakespeare's plays. A mobile app may be downloaded to allow for offline listening.
- Naxos Spoken Word Library This link opens in a new windowAudio files of literature and poetry ranging from medieval times to the twentieth century, and an expanding range of non-fiction.
Selected Free Audiobook Collections Online
- LibriVox Free Audiobook CollectionThousands of free audiobooks created by "a community of volunteers from all over the world who record public domain texts: poetry, short stories, whole books, even dramatic works, in many different languages."
- Lit2GoFrom the University of South Florida, "a free online collection of stories and poems in MP3 (audiobook) format," with the accompanying text available in PDF form.
- 1,000 Free Audiobooks (Open Culture)A guide to downloadable and streaming audio versions of books and stories on the web. Unlike LibriVox and Lit2Go, includes more recent items that are not yet in the public domain (sometimes read by the author).