Librivox.org

January 6, 2006 - 2:19 pm EST

I recently found a great website called Librivox:”Librivox.org(A project to record public domain works to audio.)”:http://www.librivox.org. The purpose of Librivox is to get public domain works into audio recordings. It’s kind of like a Project Gutenberg:”Project Gutenberg(Free public domain texts.)”:http://www.gutenberg.org for audio books. The reason this site is so great is that the community surrounding creates the audio recordings. Anyone interested can participate in recording a book, or even a chapter in a book. All you need is a mic, a computer, and sound editing software.:”Volunteer for Librivox”:http://librivox.org/volunteer-for-librivox/

There **are** a few requirements that volunteers have to follow as far as recording. They want – of course – to maintain a level of quality and audibility. Also, all works that are recorded must be in the public domain, and the submitted recording must be released to the public domain.

Each completed book is podcast one by one, and the recordings that are submitted are kept in the Librivox catalog:”Librivox Catalog”:http://librivox.org/catalogue. The catalog has books, poems, even short stories. I’ve been listening to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain.

I’ve become so interested in this site, that I decided to brave a try myself. There is a weekly poetry project that they do, where a poem in the public domain is submitted for anyone to read their interpretation. It’s interesting to listen to some of the different versions.:”http://www.greenkri.com/librivox(I’ve been putting my recordings here.)”:http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=597&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

I think I’m temporarily obsessed with this idea, because I’ve quickly finished a chapter for the book Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I’ve never read it (aside from Chapter 15 of course), but perhaps when the recordings are finished I will listen to it. I think I did OK with my recording, and I’m finding it easier and easier to listen to my own voice

So I meant it when I said I was obsessed. I’ve also signed up to read the first three chapters of Machiavelli’s The Prince. THIS one I have read, and am looking forward to doing my chapters. Perhaps if I’m feeling ambitious I’ll sign up to do another section.

I’ve been helping out with invidual chapters and sections, because I don’t think that I would maintain the motivation to complete a whole book. Some books are done in collaboration with a coordinator to keep everything organized, and some books are done as solo projects for one person. It depends on who decides to do it first really.

[Edit: 5:08pm] Oh yeah, and the site uses WordPress, which makes it even cooler.

Categorized: Education, General, Links