Week 11 Prompt-Ebooks/Audio Books

 As an avid reader a library user I wasn't a big fan of e-books when they first started gaining in popularity and availability. I thought that a part of the reading experience was the touch and feel of a book and the smell. I think many of us have gone into a used bookshop and the physical smell of books is something unique in and of itself. That added to the fact that the early e-readers were not the most user friendly added to my dislike of e-books. Does anyone remember the Kobo and the early Kindle paperwhites? Those things were clunky and confusing devices to use. 

My opinion of e-books started to shift when I took the plunge and ordered a Kindle Fire. The device was very easy to use, and I loved the fact that I didn't have to remember to return an e-book like with a regular library book. I also liked being able to change up the font sizes and page colors. The look and feel of e-books is not the same as a physical book, but I think the convenience factors outweigh these deficits. For library patrons e-books are fantastic for readers who need large print. This group has a whole new world of books available at their fingertips.

I've never really gotten into audio books, e otherwise. I think I've just had a few narrators who were duds and then just never tried out any other options. I remember the days of audio books being cases that included a thick stack of discs. Then the format shifted to mp3 player style, which was more portable and user friendly. I work in a youth services department, and we have an audio book collection of these mp3 style books, but we've been shifting more resources towards ordering e-audio books. With a vast majority of people having smart phones, it's easier than ever for people to download a library app and have access to a large variety of e-audio content. I don't think touch and feel play as large a role with audio books, it's more about a format that is user friendly and accessible. 

I think library e-book consortiums play a large role in how popular e-content can be with a community. If a library is part of a larger consortium, chances are their patrons will have access to the content they're looking for. Within the past year or so my library joined a much larger e-content consortium and we've seen our circulation stats for e-content go up. Sharing resources and content is a win, win for libraries and their patrons.