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A Year of Stories: LibraryCall's Exciting Plans for 2024

Submitted by madeline on

Happy February! 

Exciting things are in store for LibraryCall customers this year, and we’re excited to share them with you. Here are some highlights:

  • Expanding our Spanish Collection: With the help of our talented storytellers, Lorena Romero and Daniel Fernando, we'll be adding stories to our Spanish collection. 
  • Remastering and Releasing Audio Stories: We’re in the process of remastering many of our older audio stories. As we improve stories, we release them to the Storytime Commons. We are also publishing many of them as audiobooks.
  • Introducing LibraryCall Kids!: We're happy to announce the upcoming release of LibraryCall Kids!, an audiobook app designed specifically for children. This app will allow young ones to explore and listen to LibraryCall stories that match their interests. With unrestricted listening and seamless integration into library websites, it'll be easier than ever for patrons to download, enjoy, and keep the stories they love. Stay tuned for its launch later this year!

New to the Public Domain
Did you know that every year on January 1, new stories enter the public domain? This is particularly exciting news for our Dial-A-Story Studio customers! Public domain stories can be copied, shared, and adapted freely for your Dial-A-Story programs. In 2024, two notable children's titles that entered the public domain are "Millions of Cats" by Wanda Gag and "The House at Pooh Corner" by A.A. Milne.

Covers of Millions of Cats, The House at Pooh Corner and Steamboat Willie

Intriguingly, Mickey Mouse has also entered the public domain in 2024, or at least, a part of his legacy has! "Steamboat Willie," the iconic 1928 Disney cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse, is now part of the public domain. Although copyright law can be complex and Disney has a history of fighting for copyright extensions, the general consensus is that the original, black and white version of Mickey Mouse is no longer under copyright. Is it time for a black and white Mickey Mouse party at the library? Old-fashioned Mickey Mouse summer reading theme? We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Here's to another year of great stories! 

-The LibraryCall team

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