Several years ago I purchased a Kindle for reading. The reason I purchased the Kindle was to
reduce the amount of weight of books that was going into my backpack. For my current profession, I use a number of
different books as references and putting them onto the Kindle certainly
reduced the weight I carried with me. A
short time later, I started reading books on the Kindle. My library in South Bend, IN allows for eBooks
to be checked out. I discovered that I
enjoy reading novels on the Kindle. My
Kindle is old enough to have buttons. And, it is lit from the light that is
part of its cover. My lighting is not
backlit. I do a lot of reading and
writing on the laptop computer, but I am regularly distracted by a desire to
click on this or that and the onslaught of incoming mail. My Kindle is designated
for reading only. No interacting with
the outside world. It will connect with
the Internet, but it is a bugger to do it, so I don’t.
For the last two
annotation assignments, Science Fiction (Station Eleven) and Fantasy (The Night
Circus) I started the books on print codices, but after the first couple of
chapters I switched to library-borrowed eBooks on my Kindle. The reading experience was more comfortable. Also, unlike the print book, I can underline
in the Kindle without the wrath of THE
LIBRARIAN falling upon me. Also, reading
the Kindle in bed is less troublesome with a designated light than turning the
bigger light on next to the bed.
I miss the page
numbers in the Kindle, but I am greatly helped by the percentage completed that
is on the bottom of the screen. I think
Dunneback is right about how the sense of pacing and completion is a challenge
for readers.
…Neal Wyatt noted the lack of
physical indication as to how much left you have of the book to read. Some e-book reading devices and software
programs are able to compensate with indications of page numbers; however, this
is not the same as of less than fifty pages in your right hand and you must
absolutely finish the book tonight even if its 2:00am and you must be up at
5:00am for a critical-to-your-career meeting.”
(328)
Been there, done
that. Kindle is not the same as a book,
so the percentage completed helps with the sense of where I am in the
story.
I used to drive
longer distances than I do now. The
audio book was a great way to pass the time especially since much of what I was
driving through was a whole lot of nothing.
I experienced a particular kind of sadness when I reached my
destination before the conclusion of the story, or worse yet, just as the cliff
hanging event was about to take place.
I am also a user
of the treadmill. The audiobook is a
great motivator to stay on the treadmill.
From time to time I am so caught up in the story that I walk an
additional mile or so. My Doctor would
be pleased if I chose to self-report.
I have auditory
challenges, so I am affected by the narrator as well as competing noises. Mediatore says that audio books bring an
additional component to the elements of appeal. “The four elements of appeal
are pacing, characterization, story line, and frame. However, a fifth appeal factor for the
recorded format must also be considered-audible presentation.” (319)
In addition to the
questions she raises in the next paragraph about connecting narration with pace
of the story, character distinctions, and the benefits of the extras of music and
sound effects, for me it boils down to “can I hear the narrator in such a way
that I can understand what is being said.”
I have found that the diction must be clear and the accent charming but
faint. Also, a deeper voice is easier to understand.
Once that concern
is addressed, the other appeal factors also play a role. I experienced wonderful story telling and
distinctive character voices in Gerard Doyle’s narration of Eragon-The
Inheritance Cycle. Doyle narrates the
whole series and is a great storyteller.
Another great storyteller is Sir Ian McKellen. McKellen made Robert Fagles’ already lively translation
of the Odyssey an even livelier experience. Mediatore comments on how Barbara
Kingsolver narrating her own book Prodigal
Summer was a perfect match between narrator and story. Mediatore described my experience when she
said, “…she wants the listener to feel the southern Appalachian summer warmth.
Her gentle voice beckons the reader to closely observe the slow unfolding of
the lives…” (319)
As far as I am
concerned eBooks and audiobooks are a welcome addition to the book landscape. The change in medium does expand on the appeal
factors. It also creates new
challenges.
For Audiobooks the
most significant appeal issue is the narrator.
When a patron asks about an audiobook, we have to learn whether or not
the patron prefers male or female narrators or prefers a cast for the different
characters. Some people have definite
opinions about the value (or not) of sound effects or music in the background.
For eBooks, the
larger issue for patrons is familiarity with technology and devices. A person may in fact want to read an item
that is only available in eBook format but does not have any devices. If the library has devices to loan,
spectacular; if not, well, the conversation continues. This is a similar problem with books that are
on CD but a person only has a cassette player.
A connected issue
is what happens when a book is available only in eBook form? And, the library does not have a relationship
with that publisher?
If the challenges of technological familiarity
and devices are met, the appeal of eBooks is significant. EBooks can be checked out and returned
remotely. The devices are often lighter
and easier to hold than a codex. The
devices allow for font sizes to be changed for easier reading.
EBooks appeal to
the fiction reader. They may also appeal
to the reader of non-fiction. However, a
reader will become frustrated by the limitations of the eBook device when the
reader wants to go back a few pages to re-read something or jump ahead. If the text is a reference book that requires
jumping from page to page or finding specific pages, this can also be a source
of frustration for the reader.
Works
Cited
Dunneback, Katie. "E-books and Readers' Advisory." Reference
and User Services Quarterly 50.4
(2011): 325-29. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Mediatore, Kaite. "Reading with Your Ears: Readers'
Advisory and Audio Books." Reference
and User Services Quarterly 42.4 (2003): 218-323. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
