Audiobooks Can Support K-12 Readers in the Classroom

Via Flickr user
Mikael Wiman

In a digital age, with the increasing use of technology in the classroom and in school libraries—69 percent of school libraries provide students with digital content—audiobooks are gaining ground. In fact, they are the fastest-growing sector in the book-publishing industry, spurring publishers and authors to focus on audio storytelling, The Wall Street Journal recently reported. Audiobook sales increased by 20.7 percent in 2015 from the previous year —thanks in part to digital downloads for smartphones and other electronic devices, according to the Boston Globe. Though the sales weren't broken down by age demographics (and there is evidence that many K-12 students still prefer print books), today's generation of students now has more options for reading media than any other.