Audio Library
Bookshare- Submit proof of a student's reading disability and obtain a free membership to download audio books.
When creating my audio library, I used www.freecycle.org to obtain personal cd players for the students to use. This is a e-mail ring that allows you to post offers and wants for free items. Many people have moved on from cd players to mp3 players, so they are willing to donate their old equiptment to classrooms. You may have to purchase new headphones, but they are available at the dollar store. I kept the cd players in a box, and the headphone can be hung on a paper towel dowel that you screw into the wall.
Once you have obtained your cd players, purchase a stack of blank cds. You can usually find a great deal on these (look at the Weekly Deals page). Visit the sites above for free downloads of storys and burn them onto cds. You can also visit your local library, which most likely has audio books on cds. Put the cd in your computer, wait for the menu to pop, 'rip' it to your computer (put the cd on your computer memory) and then burn it onto the cd. Make sure you write the title and which cd # it is on the front of each cd. I think this is ok legally, as it is being used for a classroom. You can get many popular books from your local library-their collections are growing each month, as this is becoming a very popular way to 'read'.
When you have your books burned to cd, you need to create a case for the cds. If only one cd is involved, simply put it in a jewel case. If you have several cds to the story, it is a bit trickier. I purchased the paper cd sleeves and cut off the top flap on all the sleeves I needed for a story except one. Then I glued the front and backs of the sleeves together, make one giant sleeve with several slots in the top. The one sleeve that still has the flap should be in the front, so the flap can go over the top of the entire packet. Paste a picture of the book on the front of the packet. Run this package through the laminator (make sure it's super hot, or the laminate will split off the package), re-slit the top slits and then slide your cds in. I'll add a picture of this soon.
I never let students just take the cd packets without my permission. I printed little 'tickets' out with the covers of all the books that I had available, and students choose their book from these tickets. The checked out tickets are taken out of the pile, so they know they are only looking at books that are still available. When they present me with a ticket, I will then find the cd and give it to them. If they return a cd with a scratch, I usually charge $1 to replace the cd.
Make sure to save all your books on your computer, as students will scratch cds and then you can just burn another one without having to check the cd out from the library again.
I'll post pictures of all these steps as soon as my stuff is out of storage-it is a little confusing without them.