The Great E-Book Debate

This post is in response to a recent YALSA article by Chanitra Bishop and Marijke Visser (Spring 2013 issue). Find more info by clicking here.

Why are e-books such a hot button issue? They're convenient, accessible, and appeal to patrons of many ages. However, they're also device dependent, manipulated by publishers, and selection varies greatly.

Bishop and Visser point out that, "Because of the rapid and sometimes surprising changes, librarians have found themselves in an uncomfortably reactive state rather than as a force that can help shape the e-book market - at least as it pertains to libraries." I could not agree more with this statement, and I think librarians must stay conscious of this fact. While it may seem tempting to duck out of the e-book debate all together, I personally believe that will help no one. I think it's better to be aware of trends and research how each library can strategically serve its community rather than wave a white flag. Relevancy is a constant goal for public libraries; addressing new trends and slowly integrating them will demonstrate to patrons that libraries are active.

A great difference in e-books is permissions. The YALSA article argues that publishers and/or distributors often prevent libraries from the following:

• selling e-books that libraries do not wish to retain
• receiving donations of e-books
• ensuring patron privacy
• making reasonable accommodations for e-books for people with disabilities
• archiving and preserving content

Uh, hello?! If I'm not mistaken, these are staples of libraries. It's no wonder that libraries feel like they're attached to a master puppeteer. Unfortunately, this is probably a large reason why many libraries do not offer any e-books: they cannot afford the materials, time, or advocacy needed to fight for privileges. Despite my optimistic idea of embracing new trends, I can empathize easily with libraries that choose not to be manipulated by publishers. With multiple companies hungry to invade the e-market, publishers hiked their prices exponentially in 2012, which likely furthered angst and hesitation on the part of libraries. Random House doubled or tripled prices, and Blessings by Anna Quindlen went from $15.00 to $45.00 (Bishop). Ouch.

We're in a tricky time now, where publishers and libraries are not BFFs. I hope in my lifetime this becomes an amiable partnership that truly serves the needs and wants of both parties. Bishop suggests that as librarians, the onus is on us to tell patrons about available e-books through the library. This is sounding more and more like a never-ending battle, so I hope everyone has their game face on.

What I truly appreciate about Bishop's article is the last section of "What Can You Do?" Rather than leaving us hanging in a sense of doom and gloom, we're given specific goals and explanations as to why they're crucial. The main ways to stay active in this discourse are:

1. Stay informed
2. Negotiate
3. Advocate
4. Educate

I could not ask for a more succinct, logical conclusion. To avoid hair-ripping and severely agitated staff, we must attempt to follow the above guidelines. I highly recommend reading this article; Bishop may not solve our problems for us, but I feel much more knowledgeable having read it.

Week 10 (Intellectual Freedom)

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the YALSA conference in St. Louis. I’m sure I could ramble on for pages about using e-readers, new library apps, transmedia in books, and pop culture, but I’d like to instead focus on the topic of males reading.

Guys Talkin’ to Guys: What Will Guys Read Next? was my favorite presentation, in part because of the two panels. Four prominent male YA authors were featured (Greg Neri, Torrey Maldonado, Andrew Smith, and Antony John) in addition to four teenage boys from various St. Louis private high schools. They were eloquent, passionate, and showed a sense of humor when offering suggestions on guys reading. Rather than babbling, I’ll list some main points that I’d like to remember for later.

1.     Guys read everything. When asked what types of books they enjoyed reading, the teen panel mentioned adventure, biography, mystery, non-fiction, manga, blogs, etc. We can’t pigeonhole boys into a category that only likes certain topics. It’s unfair to assume that boys may not enjoy romance simply because it’s commonly associated with femininity. Take the Hunger Games for example: the stories are fast-paced, laced with adventure and mystery, but also include romance. None of the teenagers suggested that they would avoid a book due to romance.

2.     Social sway matters. If we can raise the social status of books, we will engage more readers. Torrey Maldonado is a teacher who has witnessed the influence books can have on groups of friends. If one person is positively impacted by a book and comfortably carries books in public, suddenly it becomes acceptable to enjoy reading.

3.     Books need commercials too. When asked how can we encourage boys to read? The teens talked a lot about how they are bombarded with commercials for other media constantly. Each of them supported the idea that with more outreach and a stronger presence, books can grab their attention. One teen grabbed the microphone and gave a ten second book talk in a powerful, stereotypical announcer voice. The gist of it would be, “In a dark world, a boy realizes his true identity as a wizard…coming soon at your local library…for FREE….Harry Potter.” I’d love to turn this into teen programming at a library. I’m envisioning teens recording book commercials that are short, sweet, and attention grabbing. They could post the commercials to YouTube weekly, or to a library blog. Feel free to steal this idea!

Although I cannot find helpful links at this moment, I’m happy to send out book titles by the featured authors if anyone is interested.

Week 7 (Elements of Librarianship in Youth Services: Programming)

This week, I commented on the official Young Adult Library Services Association blog (YALSA). The original post is titled Teen Read Week: Fiction Science (about the positive effects reading fiction has on our brains). A link to YALSA is here:

http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2012/10/11/fiction-science/comment-page-1/#comment-20301

Canadee, Amy. “Ten Tips for Starting a Teen Advisory Group”
Chapman, Jan. “The Care and Feeding of a Teen Advisory Board” 

Canadee and Shapman's articles brought up similar points regarding Teen Advisory Boards (TABs).  Both articles mention that any TAB should include time for teens to be social. Chapman points out that it's far more logical and realistic to plan for social time rather than attempting to ban it. I must agree, even though I have never created a TAB. The idea of social time, to me, is important for any group of people, regardless of their club's mission or their age. Socializing is important, and prevalent, throughout our lives. Book clubs, baby lap time sessions, church meetings - you name it, there is a social aspect associated. It's only natural, if we consider the implications. When people (teens or otherwise) go for a week or more without seeing one another, they're likely to check in once they do re-group. I worry that adults put teens in a box and treat them as separate entities. Teens are people like the rest of us: they want to feel welcomed, witness the completion of projects, and have an enjoyable time while doing so.