WK 11 Prompt

 

Ebooks are huge. We know this. The number one thing that I find makes them so different from regular books is the fact that the interaction with the reader is much different, and reflects other digital experiences more than it reflects reading a paperback – i.e., to me it feels more like browsing social media than it does reading. The device is a medium more similar to a smartphone or a computer! In my experience, my focus is not as tuned in when I am reading a digital copy of a book. Not being able to physically hold something in my hand and read it makes it harder for me to interact with the text and (attempt) to picture it (I don’t really imagine the scenes in my head, just the words if that makes sense). I have never tried using a Kindle, but maybe being able to hold that would make it an easier experience for me.

The readers’ ability to change the font and even the background of the book affects pacing in that it might (for some) allow them to read more efficiently! What could have been slow pacing in a physical copy could become faster paced thanks to the readers’ ability to customize the experience and tailor the reading experience to their specific needs (be it color-blindness, light sensitivity, whatever). This all ties into the expanded appeal factors that come with e-reading, “As we have seen with audiobooks, the format you use to access the story expands the appeal factors of the content…Does the patron need to have access to very large type or text-to-speech capability? What if the patron has arthritis and can’t hold a heavy device for an extended period of time?” (Dunneback, p. 326). The appeal factors and the e-reading device become one in the same. I cannot tell you how many patrons we have who are older and cannot always make it out of the house and have come to rely on apps like Libby to meet their reading needs.

I am sorry to say that I am also not a huge fan of audiobooks, and I think it relates back to my inability to imagine scenes in my head. Audiobooks do not meet my personal reading needs, but for many people, audiobooks allow them to access texts in a way previously not possible. For example, I know a number of neurodivergent friends who just cannot sit and read, and the audiobook option allows them to still get through the books they want to read! I feel like RA and audiobooks almost mimic the art of film or TV show recommendations. Appeal factors for audiobooks now include narrators (voice preferences), music, and the pacing can be changed depending on who is reading. I had a patron share with me recently that he was trying to listen to the King James version of the Bible on audiobook and had to return that version and find a new one because he could not stand the narrator.

References

Dunneback, K., & Trott, B. (2011). E-books and readers’ advisory. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(4), 325–329.