Week 11 Prompt Response: Ebooks and Audiobooks

Ebooks

I love ebooks. I read almost exclusively on a Kindle or tablet and almost exclusively through the 3M app with access to my public library.  I will download a cheap Kindle book every once in a while, and I will buy a few full priced ebooks every year - including textbooks; but mostly I can get what I need/want from the library. My main reasons for preferring the ebook format can be tied to some of the appeal factors mentioned by Dunneback and Trott (2011): the ability to change the font size, the size of the device (not too big or heavy to read in bed while almost asleep - regardless of the length/size of the actual book), and the ability to turn the backlight way down at night - just enough so that I can read but not so much that it keeps me or anyone else awake. Being able to prop up my Kindle in bed is the main reason I switched to the format. I also use the highlight and note-taking features when I am reading a book for school!

One thing I had to get used to was the struggle to tell how many pages are left in a book. Dunneback and Trott (2011) note that this is a downfall of the ebook format for many readers, but it was not something that kept me from adjusting to the format and embracing it. Many ebooks now list realistic page numbers, which is a big improvement since the advent of the format. I do not feel that pacing or tone are significantly affected, although it can take a few chapters to get a feel for how the book will be presented in this format. My other issue with ebooks is that I will occasionally find myself with a dead Kindle and, thus, no book to read. This is a huge bummer and can make a person feel ridiculous that they can’t read their book because it is on an e-device! (I recently got a portable charger and can now grab that and be ready to read quickly.)

In my experiences with patrons, kids don’t prefer ebooks, and teens really don’t prefer ebooks. After the craze of getting a Kindle or tablet for Christmas died down around 2014, I found that fewer and fewer kids and teens asked about ebooks. My own children have read very few ebooks, and even then only at my suggestion (surprise). I would be interested in hearing if anyone else has had a similar or opposite experience with kids/teen and ebooks.

My experience as one of the go-to “tech gurus” at the library was that more women seemed to get Kindles and e-readers and come in for help setting up the library functions through 3M or Overdrive. Most of those needing assistance were over age 60, but the process of getting the app wasn’t so simple at first (you had to go through a third party site on a browser in order to download the Overdrive app on a Kindle in the early days). Lots of patrons were sent to the children’s floor to speak with me about their new e-reader devices over the years.

Audiobooks

I don’t love audiobooks (but I see the value in them...read on!) I’ve tried so many times to be a good audiobook reader/listener. I have tried classics, short stories, full casts, contemporary works read by the author. I have tried CDs, digital files, playaways… and I’ve only once finished an entire audiobook. For me, the format just doesn’t work. I love the idea of a full cast of well-voiced characters, music, sound effects and all of the great appeal factors that come with a really well-produced audiobook. The Secret Language of Books: A Guide to Appeal (2018) recommends starting with “well-characterized” as an audio appeal when you’re not sure where to start (pg 35). That makes sense to me, and I will use that guide to help patrons find good audiobooks; but I am unlikely to love the format for my own reading any time soon. (Strangely, I love podcasts…).

Even though I don’t love the audiobook format for my own reading, I have championed the medium for use by kids. Some children really benefit from reading along with an audiobook. And some families love to use audiobooks as a fun, educational family activity on long car rides. (Incidentally, I tried this once with my own children - who are avid readers - and they were just NOT having it. We completed one relatively short middle grade novel on audio and that was the end of that. Like me, my kids simply need to SEE the words in order to follow the full story.)

Adults I have talked to who love audio formats include those who have to commute to work, those who exercise/run, and those who have jobs that allow them to listen. There are definitely “audio only” patrons, and some of these patrons will go through all of the audiobooks that the library has access to almost regardless of subject, author, or any appeal factor. Others will want only specific audios or specific audio formats (CD vs. digital). So, while I have certainly helped patrons find audiobooks, recommending them by appeal factors would be new for me. I love the idea of having a vocabulary to describe appeal factors for this format! The Secret Language of Books: A Guide to Appeal (2018) provides excellent audio appeal factors such as “distinctly voiced”, “full cast”, and “sound effects” (pp. 32-34).

Mediatore (2003) notes that audible presentation can be the main factor in determining a patron’s enjoyment of an audiobook. This includes pacing, music, and sound effects, among other things. As another note on pacing in audiobooks, Mediatore (2003) notes that pacing can be an issue for some listeners and indicates that this is a function of the narration. I am sure that in 2003, when she wrote about this, the ability to change narration speed of an audiobook on CD was not possible. Now, with digital audiobooks, you can change the pacing of the narration. I find this to be incredibly helpful (although not helpful enough to finish an audiobook, apparently). Some day I will find just the right audiobook to win me over! 

References

Dunneback, K., & Trott, B. (2011). E-books and Readers' Advisory. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(4), 325-9.

Mediatore, K. (2003). Reading with Your Ears: Readers' Advisory and Audio Books. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 42(4), 318-23. 

The Secret Language of Books: A Guide to Appeal. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.ebscohost.com/uploads/novelist/pdf/NoveList_Appeal_2018.pdf