Prompt #5: E-books and Audio Books

E-books and audiobooks are changing the way that librarians look at collection development and how they are meeting the needs of their community members. Some patrons thrive on electronic resources due to their busy schedules or physical limitations while others still desire the feel of a physical book in their hands. All types of medium are important to the modern-day library, but the new emphasis on electronic formats causes librarians to think about the appeal factors of stories in a different way as it applies to e-books and audio books.

For e-books, many of the appeal factors remain similar such as the story line, characterization, and writing style. Since the reader is reading the same words as in the physical books, these appeal factors generally remain steadfast. Where the difference lies within e-books is that of pacing and tone. With e-books, readers can adjust the size of the text, which is a great addition for those with poor eyesight who need larger print. However, according to Dunneback & Trott (2011), “Pacing is also affected by how much text is visible on the screen, so the larger the text, the less there is to indicate how quickly the story is moving (p. 328).” The authors indicate that richly detailed stories will have larger chunks of text, while quick-witted dialogue will appear shorter on the page. This same tool of adjusting the text size can affect the tone as well. When a novel is gripping and a scene creates a specific tone, the tone can be diminished due to the large number of times that a reader has to pause to turn the page. It may seem minute, but if a scene takes 5 pages in a physical book to get to the climax but takes 10-12 pages in an e-reader due to text size, the brief pauses can decrease the impact of that climactic moment.

Pacing is also affected by the fact that readers do not have a visual way of seeing how close to the end they are. Many e-book software will give a page number or percentage completed, but it does not inspire faster pacing compared to physically seeing the small number of pages remaining in a text. In my own experience, I have noticed that when I read e-books, it takes me longer to finish a book than when reading a physical book of the same genre/author because I subconsciously look at the amount of pages left in a book or chapter and feel that I continue. Whereas when reading an e-book, the percentage complete indicator doesn’t inspire the same zest for finishing the story.

Audiobooks, even more so than e-books, can change the appeal factors of a novel. The appeal factors of characterization, tone, pacing, and frame are all affected through the implementation of a fifth appeal that is specific for audiobooks: audible presentation. According to Mediatore (2003), “The most significant element of appeal for a recorded book- audible presentation- takes into account how all of the above appeal factors blend together when narrated for a recorded book (p. 319).” The way a narrator interprets and presents the story can either increase or decrease pacing or lighten and darken tone, as well as developing believable characters. If the narrator interprets the authors intentions in a different manner, readers may experience the appeals in a completely different way than if they were reading the physical book. Choosing the right narrator is always an important step with working with audio books.

In addition to how the narrator drives the appeals, pacing can be slowed because of how the tracks are set up. I have had patrons in the past who wanted to listen to a novel but saw how long the entire thing lasts (usually around 7-10 hours) and choose to go another route, sometimes even checking out the physical book instead. While both the physical book and audiobook will usually take the same amount of time, the blatant length of time on the audiobook can deter people from choosing this format or, if they do choose this medium, it may seem like the pacing is slower than if they were physically reading the story.

Electronic resources, such as e-books and audiobooks, are becoming a staple in library collections. More people are living busy lives and want novels that are portable to take with them, which both e-books and audiobooks can accomplish. Therefore, it is important for librarians to develop an understanding of the way appeals are represented in these mediums and what appeals, such as audible presentation, are important to the mediums individually.

Resources:

Dunneback, K. & Trott, B. (2011). E-books and readers’ advisory. Reference and user services quarterly, 

          50(4):325-329.

Mediatore, K. (2002). Reading with your ears: Readers’ advisory and audio books. Reference and user services 

          quarterly, 42(4): 318-323.