Prompt Response Week 11

When it comes to ebooks and audiobooks, the vibe of Readers Advisory certainly does change.

A job I used to have at my library was a Library Technician, which consisted of me helping patrons with all technological issues and situations. I only worked on Friday and Saturday, and I had appointments with patrons who needed help learning a device or downloading our digital distributors OverDrive and Hoopla. Before this position I did not know how to access ebooks or how the apps worked. I taught myself how to use it so I can teach my patrons. This has helped me understand how ebooks worked and why they appeal to readers. This being said, I have no issue accessing ebooks and understanding how they work. I can find authors for patrons easily.

But the main problem is that many of those patrons I helped were older patrons who had a hard time using technology. It was sad when I found a book someone wanted, or a book I recommended, but all we had was a digital version. Even when people have devices, both the devices and users are of different age and capacity, so even if they wanted ebooks and could access them, the look and feel of the ebook experience may be difficult to grasp.

I remember one time I had a patron ask for books by an author we do not have because they are ebook-only. However, the patron did not know what that meant. I had to explain that we had no way of accessing their work. I was reminded of this moment reading the article “E-books and Readers’ Advisory” by Katie Dunneback. It discussed how some publishing companies won’t sell to libraries, whereas some are. One of those companies that is doing this is “Carina Press [which] has made a splash in the romance genre with authors already popular in the e-book market as well as authors with print publishing histories” (Dunneback 327).

I have yet to have someone ask me for ebook-specific recommendations (on purpose) because I have not read an ebook (although on March 22nd I began reading my first one. I am rereading The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom), and I am completely unaware of ebook-only authors. At one library branch I worked at I had a couple regular patrons who discussed ebook authors often. They commented that they love how there are so many books they can read for free or cheap because these authors release their work independently and are unknown. It would be extremely hard to know much about ebook authors since I am not exposed to them regularly. Even though I have not read many physical books by popular authors, I at least know books by them and what genre they usually write.

I also do not listen to audiobooks. I do not know if there are people who narrate several books, or how long a typical CD lasts, etc. I also do not know how to tell if a narrator does voices for each character or not. This is apparently a major appeal according to the article “Reading with Your Ears: Readers' Advisory and Audio Books” by Katie Mediatore. (Mediatore 319). I know how to look up most of this information for patrons, but I cannot offer personal recommendations or input on the format. Currently I suggest audiobooks to parents with children who do not like to read. If we have both the book and audiobook available, I recommended both to use at the same time.

I feel like someone reading me a book would take away from the experience. I would like to read it in my own voice, imagining all the character’s voices how I interpret them. Personally I wouldn’t mind listening to an audiobook for a book I’ve already read.

Work Cited:

Dunneback, Katie and Barry Trott. "E-Books and Readers' Advisory." Reference & User Services Quarterly, vol. 50, no. 4, Summer2011, pp. 325-329. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=503017488&site=ehost-live.

Mediatore, Kaite. "Reading with Your Ears: Readers' Advisory and Audio Books." Reference & User Services Quarterly, vol. 42, no. 4, Summer2003, pp. 318-323. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=502907815&site=ehost-live.