Week 11 eBooks and AudioBooks

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.