Books unbound: Abridged vs. unabridged audiocassettes.

Studies the debate among librarians over whether to purchase unabridged or abridged audiobook tapes for their collections. Use of audiobooks by commuters while driving and by those who have little time to read books; Question of whether library users will get much depth from abridged versions of popular and literary texts; Other elements which are included in audiobooks, such as music, sound effects, and reading pace; View of Elizabeth Bruce Fugazzi of the Minneapolis Public Library that library users prefer abridged versions because it takes less time to listen to them; Idea of Susan Knopf of Caedmon Audio, a division of Harper & Row, that abridged audiobooks are more cost-effective than full-length versions. INSET: An audio forum..