Week 11 Prompt - Ebooks and Audiobooks

The growing number of media options for reading a book is making the work of readers' advisory considerably difficult because learning enough to recommend books from each medium requires consulting different sources and looking for different types of information and appeals. Dunneback (2011) points out the difficulty of advising patrons about ebooks when ebook file formats and compatible devices are an issue that can get in the way of a good recommendation. I worry that ebooks have the potential to contribute to disparities in equal access to information between those with more money and those with less. If some patrons have the financial means to purchase a proprietary device used to read ebooks that a library lends while others do not, the library is no longer providing equal access to information to all. I'm curious if there is a feasible way to loan out e-reader devices to patrons in order to address this problem? Of course, many file formats can now be used on all manner of devices, but there is still an underlying assumption that everyone has a device that can be problematic. I think it's important to consult with a patron at the beginning of a readers' advisory interview to determine what types of devices they have available to read potential ebook recommendations.

Audiobooks are also a fantastic way to experience reading, but come with a different set of appeal factors than print books. Mediatore (2003) points out that choice of narrator, tone of voice, and pacing of voice can have a stronger influence on audiobook listeners' enjoyment of a book than traditional print book appeal factors. One way I've noticed these appeal factors in my own audiobook listening experience is that narrators are often chosen in order to represent the author whose book they're reading. This can be a great thing, as more and more books by people from marginalized communities are published and adapted to audiobook, we as listeners get to experience the text more fully when we hear it read by a member of the author's community (or by the author themself). However, I've noticed that literary classics are almost invariably read by old British people, which only intensifies the misconception that classic works are cobwebby historical documents not intended for modern audiences. I think audiobooks offer exciting opportunities to experience books in a new way (whether we've read them before or not), but in order to properly recommend them to patrons we can't just rely on our knowledge of their print book versions - we need to investigate narration quality as well, and this forces us to find alternative review sources that focus specifically on audio quality.

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.