Prompt Response Week 11

I am a huge cheerleader for ebooks (and audiobooks, but to a lesser extent). I got my first Nook for my
14th birthday, and it changed my whole world. No longer did I have to fight with my mom about how many books I was allowed to take on any given car ride or family vacation. There wasn't a limit to how many books could fit in my purse, backpack or suitcase, all I could read could fit in the device slimmer than even one book! It wasn't available, or I wasn't aware at least, of ebook lending through my library back then, but once that came on the market and the barrier of money was removed, then I was truly unstoppable.

Dunneback and Trott (2011) note that, even then, readers could "achieve an immersive experience similar to reading a print book" (p. 327) depending on the device they chose, accessories and settings they utilized. However, they say "The impact of digitization of books and stories on appeal factors is most prominently felt with pacing...the lack of physical indication as to how much left you have of the book to read" (p. 328). While I agree with their points on syntax maybe getting lost in ebook format, such as long dense paragraphs, or quick, dialogue heavy pages losing the impact of their visual cues, I actually have a hard time reading physical books anymore because I'm so attached to the "x minutes left in the chapter" feature on my Kindle. In the 13 years since this article was written, I do think e-readers have developed features to simulate the lessening of pages as you get closer to finishing a physical book, and in my mind they've made themselves even more useful.

I think it's also very important to discuss the accessibility of ebooks and audiobooks alike. Dunneback and Trott said "(E-book adopters) will include tech-savvy younger users as well as those older users with sight issues who may appreciate the ability to resize text" (p. 326). The ability to change font size, color, background color, and a myriad of other seemingly small details can really change the experience for the better for many readers. Not many books are issued in large print, and often well after their initial release. On top of that, libraries' collections of large print are often much smaller than the regular print collection. Ebooks open up just about any book to someone with sight issues who otherwise wouldn't be able to read many books.

As for audiobooks, Neil Gaiman put it best when he said "I tend to think the experience of hearing a book is often much more intimate, much more personal" (Cahill & Moore, 2017, p. 25). For many, the enjoyment of an audiobook depends heavily on the narrator, but when a good story has a good narrator and production, it turns into a wonderful experience. Additionally, the reader isn't tied down to one spot as they would be with a traditional book. Personally, I love turning on a memoir (Stanley Tucci's at the moment) whenever I'm driving or cleaning around the house. Cahill and Moore also included that "Spoken narrative restores the rhythm and cadence of prose in ways reminiscent of early storytelling...A proficient reader might gain a different perspective by listening than by reading" (p. 25). While I disagree with them that you can't speed listen an audiobook (I almost always have audiobooks on 1.5 to 2 times speed), there is a certain intentionality with the words that professional narrators bring to the authors' words.

All in all, ebooks and audiobooks may not be for everyone, but I think those who don't like them just haven't given them a good shot yet. Each is a different way of experiencing the story, and as Dunneback and Trott said, "We may even find the art of storytelling evolving to adapt to the advantages provided by digital technology, kindred the branching off of printed storytelling from oral storytelling" (p. 328).

References

Cahill, M., & Moore, J. (2017). A sound history. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the

     Association for Library Service to Children, 15(1), 22–29. 

Dunneback, K., & Trott, B. (2011). E-books and readers' advisory. Reference & User

     Services Quarterly, 50(4), 325-9.