Week 11 Prompt

I would have loved to have received some input like usual from my colleagues and patrons lately at the library, but unfortunately, we've been closed for several weeks and I hadn't had the chance to do so. I can safely rely on past interactions, especially since I work in the department that houses nearly all of our audiobook material. Additionally, our departmental reference desk is the hub for questions about our electronic services, like Hoopla, Freegal, Overdrive, and other apps that allow patron to access our digital content.

Last semester, I had the pleasure of taking a children's and young adult literature course that demanded a book be read a week. It doesn't need to be said that the weeks we practically read picture books were easy, but the other weeks where we delved deeply into lengthy YA novels, I decided to rely on audiobooks. I don't ordinarily like being read to, simply because I think my attention can't be tamed so easily. Additionally, many of us know that reading heavier books require a lot of rereading, such as many of our college days revisiting old classics with hidden symbolism. This is one of the reasons I thought that audiobooks weren't for me. I could pause and rewind all I wanted, but there was such a chore in that action alone that seemed unattractive to me.

However, taking that class, I found that audiobooks really helped me out in making those deadlines. The assignment required of us post-reading wasn't that intensive and there were very few reasons to go back and reread sections lest I needed a quote.

Many of our patrons look for audiobooks so they can listen to their books on road trips instead of fiddling with the radio. That is the number one reason that I've noticed in the years in my position. Patrons seeking audiobooks are largely uninterested in our ebooks on our apps, for they cannot utilize them in the same way. We still have patrons that use ebooks, of course, but our more avid readers of a particular series seem to appreciate those than anyone else.

Especially in this time of self-isolation and social distancing, however, there has been a substantial spike in our digital library's usage (according to our directors latest statistical analysis email). Without access to books, audiobooks (digital, not CD) and ebooks are a wonderful resource for those who are unable to travel or cannot visit a closed library to obtain their materials. Remotely able to access their stories, I can see the merits of a digital alternative.

There are perks to ebooks as there are with audiobooks. Changing the light and color tone of the screen you are reading on can help to relieve headaches that might come from squinting at an actual book's pages. The size of the text can be enlarged. Passages can be highlighted without damaging or marking any physical material. Audiobooks, similarly, rely on their narrator and their ease of access. Some like hearing Anne Hathaway read the Princess Diaries, others enjoy Meg Cabot. Some may not mind who talks, but would rather pop a CD into their car and listen rather than use the app to go from chapter to chapter.

Our choices reflect our needs in life. For some, they have the option of the pleasure of a real book in their hands. For others, there are more modern means of enjoying books. All perfectly acceptable.