Week Eleven Prompt

I think that both e-books and audiobooks offer many appeal factors.  Some people prefer e-books over physical books for specific reasons, and some prefer to have a book be read to them via an audiobook for other specific reasons. Personally, I still prefer to read a physical book, but there are times when reading an e-book has been more convenient.

When looking at factors that make e-books appealing, one of the first things that I have discovered myself, and also have heard from patrons at my library is the convenience factor.  Using an e-reader, be it a Kindle, iPad, etc., is lighter and less bulky to carry when traveling.  An e-reader can also be easier for one some to slip into their purse or bag to take with them when they are going about their day.  I have also had patrons comment that they like that they can put several book titles on their device at one time, which is easier to travel with than carrying around 3, 4 or maybe 5 physical books. 

I personally found this appeal factor to be true on our Spring Break trip last week.  My goal was to read two books during our trip and I also wanted to have an audiobook for the whole family to listen to during the long car ride.  Having all three of these things on my iPad was so convenient, and I didn't have to worry about misplacing the audiobook CD's in the car.

I don't think that changing the font, line spacing or text color affects the tone of the book.  Being able to change the font size is one reason that I have heard several patrons say they like to read e-books.  This allows them to see the words easier and to enjoy the reading experience.  I have noticed that once I get absorbed into a story, I don't really pay attention to the font color or size.   

Audiobooks offer their own appeal factors as well. Many of the audiobook users at my library use them for specific reasons, such as traveling and wanting to enjoy a story on the long drive.  One patron only ever checks out audiobooks.  I recently asked her what she enjoys about them and she told me she likes to listen to them when she cleans, knits or sews.  This way she can do two things at once.  My daughter, who is an avid reader, cannot read in the car with out becoming ill.  Being able to listen to an audiobook on her Kindle has been a great solution to this problem!

I think that track length, narrator choice and music all factor in in the appeal of an audiobook.  Another library patron has commented to me that while she listens to audiobooks much more often than reading a book, she does not like the fact that it is hard to find where she stops in the story if she needs to stop the book before the end of the track.  She has been an audiobook reader for a long time, and misses the books on cassette for this reason.  A narrator can also have an affect on the appeal of an audiobook.  Listening to someone that reads too fast, too slow, or possibly has a voice that you just don't enjoy can make the experience unpleasant.

E-books have continued to gain popularity at our library.  The only concern I see is that while our patron count has gone up, our circulation count, as far as physical library items, has gone down.  This is due to the large number of e-book readers at our library.  It will be interesting to see how this trend affects the look of the library in the years to come.