Audiobooks and Ebooks

Looking at audiobooks and ebooks, I never was a fan until recently. As for audiobooks, I preferred audio dramas, where actors would act out the story rather than read it. I always listened to the Chronicles of Narnia audio dramas or the Father Gilbert mysteries growing up. I found they told the better story. As for ebooks, I despised them. My dad works for a Christian publisher and he was a big part of bringing their books to digital format. He still prefers a regular book than an ebook, but he definitely showed me ways that ebooks can be helpful.

For some reason, I’ve decided to change. I’ve started listening to audiobooks in the car and feel accomplished. When I’m stuck in the car on my daily commute, I find myself productivity “reading” a book. Some audiobooks aren’t made well, but I’ve found some audiobooks that I truly love. As for ebooks, I do like them now. First, they are convenient. If the library doesn’t have the physical book that I want, I check online throughout OverDrive and get it instantly. I guess that’s part of my generation’s instant gratification issue, but I love being able to read a book instantly if I can’t find it in the store or library. Plus, I love how it looks up definitions of words that I don’t know already. I think I like it just for that reason. Plus, it’s easier to flip pages if you want to read in bed and your arms get tired!

Audiobooks are great ways to pass the time in the car. I have a 45 minute commute to my school three days a week. Listening to an audiobook for that amount of time can be very productive! Katie Mediatore writes an article about audiobooks titled, “Reading With Your Ears.” I really enjoyed how she explained the positives of listening to an audiobook. She claims it soothes road rage, burns calories, passes bored time away, and entertains the family on road trips (Mediatore, pg. 318). Audiobooks have five appeal factors: pacing, characterization, story line, frame, and recorded format/audio presentation (Mediatore, pg. 319). Mediatore explains that the audio presentation is the most important because the narrator sets the tone and pacing for the story. If someone listens to an audiobook but is not enthralled with the narrator, it’s easy to put on something else. The narrator not only sets the tone and pace for the story, but brings the characters alive. The narrator has to provide voices and inflections for each character. If the narrator doesn’t do that well, then the audiobook will fail. Mediatore recalls the narrator, Jim Dale, for reading the Harry Potter series. In those audiobooks, “Dale adopts different voices, tones, and pitches for all the characters in the series, which not only enhances the listening experience, it also makes it easy for the listener to keep track of the numerous characters in the books” (Mediatore, pg. 319-20). There is also the matter of abridged and unabridged versions of the novel. Most listeners will opt for the unabridged version, but sometimes readers will go for the entire novel (Mediatore, pg. 321). Audiobooks are great for those who would rather listen to a book or find that listening would provide time to read. Audiobooks have to be the right length. For the average patron, a 12-14 hour audiobook may be too long. The length also gages interest as well. If it is too long, the patron may think he/she won’t be able to get through it. Like any novel, it has to fit the patron’s likes, pacing method, characterization, and length.

The appeal factors for ebooks have definitely changed for me, but I think some factors have been updated throughout the years. Before I knew anything about ebooks being provided at libraries, I assumed that the library would have unlimited digital copies of the book if they bought one print book. Silly me, now I know that is wrong. Digital copies are exactly the same as a physical copy in the library in terms of inventory. I don’t think all patrons understand that dilemma. When you advise a patron on the ebook services, it’s important to mention that factor. Katie Dunneback explains some reading appeal factors in her article, “E-books and Readers’ Advisory,” that “the impact of digitization of books and stories … is prominently felt with pacing” (pg. 328). When you read a book, it’s exciting to put your bookmark inside the book and see how far you are into the book. With digital books, they focus on percentage and page number, which isn’t exactly as gratifying. In addition to the bookmark pacing method, the actual pacing of reading the ebook is different than a physical novel. When you are able to adjust the size and font, the actual reading of the material can change. Also, ebooks that include richly detailed books may not be the best, “especially if the reader is one who likes to … fan and scan to check for previously revealed information” (Dunneback, pg. 328). It’s not easily accomplished on an ebook, where a physical book you can quickly go back to a certain section.

Being an elementary librarian, I have some experience buying books for my collection (this is my first year!). I have looked into the prices of ebooks to investigate what is out there and they are much more expensive for just one digital books. Because of the increased price compared to a regular physical book, it’s understandable that libraries are facing this dilemma. Jamie LaRue, Director of the Douglas County Libraries is quoted on her experience with digital collection development, “I realized that the problem is that we shift our dollars to eBooks, I am buying fewer items because the prices are so much higher” (Vinjamuri, 2012). Ebooks are becoming popular, but publishers are making it difficult for libraries to obtain them at a decent price. Plus, with Amazon taking over the market, it makes it even more difficult.

With the increased technology available at the library and our fingertips, both of these items can be checked out from the library without even visiting the library. Audiobooks and ebooks are available on our phones, ready instantly for download. Plus, they don’t wear out and you don’t have to worry about returning them at the right time. They each have their own appeal factors, whether it be you want to listen to a story or have a book at the touch of your fingertips, whether that be on your phone or tablet. Each item is great for check-out; however, these items are drastically changing the world - and more specifically the library world - today.

Resources

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.

Vinjamuri, D. (2012). The wrong war over ebooks: Publishers vs. libraries. Forbes.