The traditional audio have reached the digital age at the Hillsborough Public Library. The library now offers over 300 Playaway digital audiobooks for patrons to borrow.

“What makes it different from recorded books is that it’s a self-contained device,” Ed Hoag, library director, said. “It’s smaller than a cell phone, and you don’t have to fool around with multiple CDs. You can slip it into a pocket or purse or backpack.”

The library introduced the devices in October, as an alternative to its existing audio books. The units contain one audio book each, and the library has over 300 titles that include non-fiction, adventures, mysteries and more.

The library received $20,000 from the Somerset County Library system in order to purchase the units, Hoag said. It also received a discount based on the amount of units ordered.

In its first month offering the Playaway books, it saw over 100 people borrowing the audio books, Hoag said. The devices work with almost any type of headphone, and runs on AAA batteries.

“We didn’t just have a few titles,” he said. “We had upward of 300 titles for patrons to browse.”

It’s a particular advantage for those who enjoy listening to a story, but also want to handle other tasks, he added.

“They can still do other things while listening to the book,” Hoag said. “While I’m at home working on another project, I can still be listening to the book.”

The library also has about 25 Playaway View units—all-in-one media players that allow children to watch their favorite stories.

“They went right off the shelves,” Hoag said. “The parents really gravitated toward them. They’re great for when kids are in the car. You can have each child have one, whereas a DVD player you may only have one.

“It exposes kids to different formats of learning and listening,” he added.

Each unit allows the user to pause the story and pick it up at the same place later, Hoag said. In addition, the units condense what would be a multiple CD or tape work—Hoag noted that a CD of A Tale of Two Cities is 15 discs—into a single unit. As a result, there’s no need to switch discs midway through a trip.

As with the library’s printed materials, residents can borrow the Playaway or Playaway View units for 21 days. The materials can be renewed as long as nobody reserved the item, he added.

“It’s such an easy device to try,” he said. “There’s nothing really complicated about it. You just put your headset in and listen.”