Playaway View @ Selected Libraries

Obviously, Findaway World is promoting this product well beyond the library marketplace.

Peters Library Offers New Product. (Peters Patch, 6/2/2012)  

Excerpt: Weighing only 5.4 ounces, Playaway View is a convenient, low-maintenance solution for librarians and patrons. The device comes with a 3.5” full-color LCD screen with a shatter-resistant acrylic screen cover. The built-in speaker makes sharing up to six hours of content easy, while the headphone jack outlet offers a library/parent-friendly quiet option. It can be recharged with a standard AC adaptor. 

  
“Playaway View’s simple functionality, full LCD viewing screen and expansive content selection make it a great addition to the Peters Township Public Library,” said Pier Lee, library director. “With Playaway View, our patrons can enjoy highly acclaimed content in the palm of their hands.” 

As the library is participating in a trial program for this new product, patrons who check out a Playaway View will be asked to complete a short online survey to give feedback about the device. Hard copies of the survey are also available at the library.

Other beta testing sites.
Florida.  North Palm Beach Library.  
Illinois.  Warren-Newport Public Library.
Indiana.  Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library.
Kentucky.  Kenton County Public Library.
Louisiana.  Shreve Memorial Library.
New York.  Longwood  Public Library.
Ohio.  Medina County Library District.
South Carolina.  Florence County Library.

But I see that other libraries have Playaway Views in their collections.

St. Charles (IL) Public Library.


Reedsburt (WI) Public Library

The more I search, the less selective the list becomes.   Outside of Reedsburg, have other WIsconsin public libraries obtained this format?

I'm a big fan of Playaway audiobooks, finding them great for listening to books -- while working in the yard, walking -- that I wouldn't ordinarily choose to read in print. (Full disclosure: I have yet to read a book on any type of ereader device, though I regularly use my iPad for reading magazine articles, thanks to a weeklky emails from Longreads.)

My most recent Playaways "reads"::

• Out of Range by C. J. Box
• I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
• Eyes Wide Open by Andrew Gross

Since we're on the topics......

How often do Playaways circ at your library compared to a year ago?

As for the Playaway View. Promising format? Purchase/take a pass? If you choose to purchase, are there certain content areas you would emphasize?

If I were still "in the field", my initial (and skeptical) reaction might have been, "Oh great! Just what we need. Another AV format." (Similar to how I first felt about Playaway audio. But I became a believer.)