FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Audio Books Become a Part of the Digital Revolution in the Public Sector

April 27, 2007

Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Audio books are coming of age in the UK. Long the preserve of the blind, lent by public libraries or used by senior managers to build management skills, audio books are now easier to use, lend and manage than ever before.

The explosion in use of mp3 players and Apple IPod devices has lead to a new market for audio content. First, it has given professional managers a new way to easily access important information. Second, it has given schools and libraries a new way of distributing copyrighted content on a dedicated audio player. This is a critical change as previous technologies needed to store a full audio book on multiple tapes or CD’s. Third, it has created new models for mass distribution through licensing agreements. All this is very relevant to the UK public sector.

By far the biggest market for Audio books is still public libraries, schools and military bases. Public libraries are seeing growing demand for audio books and movies. Schools are finding great value in audio books in teaching reading and vocabulary skills. They find the unabridged version of books, audio versions of the full text, can be followed word by word to build reading and vocabulary skills. This has been very successful in the USA. Finally, the military continue to need to support troops around the world. Audio books are also growing in demand with this audience, especially when confined to bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the public sector office environment, audio books are seen as an investment in a staff’s success. Like distance learning, online training or sending staff to courses, it is a sign that management is investing in their staff. This is especially true when the average commuting time for a worker in the UK is now 46 minutes per day with more that 38% of people commuting more that 2 hours a day. This time can now be productively used.

Buyers Guide has been helping private companies get access to government contracts since 1996. With over 5,000 company listings on www.buyersguide.co.uk of specific products and services targeting public sector work, Buyers Guide is an easy solution for helping government buyers find qualified suppliers.

Companies listed on Buyers Guide range from multinationals to sole traders, but all have the goal of working on public sector contracts. These include working with schools, colleges, universities, local councils, ministry of defence, NHS, housing authorities, and government funded non-profit agencies.

The advantage that Buyers Guide offers is that the company “profile” on the www.buyersguide.co.uk website is written to specifically answer the pre-qualification questions from public sector buyers. This usually includes information like; previous work with other government bodies, years in business, industry qualifications or certifications like ISO 9002, testimonials from clients, government awards like investors in people, confirmation of equal opportunity employer status and specific contact details.

The Buyers Guide “profile” system allows government procurement specialists to quickly find companies that have government experience, the pre-qualification standards and a willingness to work with the public sector in one place saving time, effort and ultimately money.

Contact:

Buyers Guide
0191 260 5388
0191 221 2287

info@buyersguide.co.uk
www.buyersguide.co.uk

Company History

Buyers Guide, based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, was established in 1996 and is the leading online directory of UK companies that are targeting the £600 billion in public spending each year. To date, there are over 5,000 company listings in 1,200 categories on the www.buyersguide.co.uk website.