Audiobooks cabins project )Masmooa( in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: An exploratory descriptive study

Most countries are undertaking many important initiatives that encourage reading in order to achieve cognitive development and raise the reading rates of individuals in society. One of the new and innovative initiatives is the audio book cabins project, known as “Masmooa” which was announced last year at the Riyadh International Book Fair during the period from (September 29 to October 8) 2022 AD, with the aim of spreading the culture of reading in public places by presenting content from audio books in an interactive and easy-to-access method.
This study deals with the development of the concept and times of reading practices in the digital age, the importance of listening to audiobooks, the introduction of the “Masmooa” project and the services provided to users, in addition to analyzing the numerical and objective trends of available audiobooks, determining how to benefit from the project and the extent of there being follow-up and evaluation of the project and special protection methods. By directly examining one of the audio book cabins located in the Municipality of Al-Ahsa City walkway in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The researcher used the descriptive analytical method, as this method is concerned with collecting information and facts, analyzing and interpreting them, and coming up with a set of results. One of the most important results of the study is that the largest number of audio books available in the project is in the self-development section, at 24%, and the smallest number is in the health section, at 6%. It includes The project currently includes 100 audiobooks, and the project aims to reach three thousand audiobooks. One of the most important recommendations of the study is the necessity of placing instructions for beneficiaries on one side of the audiobook cabins and introducing the project and the party responsible for it on the main screen of the project.