Audio Books

Audio books have been used to teach children to read, and have been found to increase reading comprehension. They are also useful for the blind. The National Library of Congress in the U.S. and the CNIB Library in Canada both provide free audiobook library services to the visually impaired; requested books are mailed out (at no cost) to clients. According to the National Endowment for the Arts' recent study, "Reading at Risk", audio book listening is one of very few "types" of reading that is increasing general literacy.

Self-help audio books
Audio books are also used for education. Self-help audio books range from public speaking to learning meditation. Their general goal however is always to develop one's skills to be more happy and/or successful in life. While some focus on a particular skill, others aim to shift the listener's life entirely. Many of these self help audio books can be purchased online.

Listening practices
Audio books are considered a valuable learning tool because of their format. Unlike with traditional books, one can learn from an audiobook while doing other tasks, although it should be noted that this can veer attention from the primary task. Such multitasking is feasible when doing mechanical tasks that do not require much thought and have only a very minor or no chance of an emergency arising. Such tasks include doing the laundry and exercising indoors, among others. They are also popular when driving, as an alternative to radio, and many people listen just to relax or as they drift off to sleep.

Some Common practices include:

Replaying: Depending upon one's degree of attention and interest, it is often necessary to listen to segments of an audio book more than once to allow the material to be understood and retained satisfactorily. Replaying may be done immediately, and also after extended periods of time.
Learning: A person may listen to an audio book (usually an unabridged one) while following along in the actual book. This helps the person to learn words they may not learn correctly if they were to just read the book.