Ebooks are underrated in the review world. I did not realize that there were any reviews done on them at all until this prompt. I think in terms of collection development this can hinder the access patrons have to a wider range of books. If librarians who are developing the collection have no way of knowing what people think of the book how can they accurately judge if it is a good fit for their collection? When developing the collection, a librarian must think of the community they serve. If they cannot read a review of the book it is a lot harder to decide if the book is right for the collection. Where I work reviews can make or break us buying some of our materials. I do have one question for those of you who are reading this, what genres have books that are published only in eBook form? I know about a few popular authors based-on patron requests at the library but have never dived into what genres get only this format for some of their books. I think eBooks need to be taken more seriously because patrons across all age ranges are starting to read them more and more. Librarians who develop online collections need to be just as informed as those who purchase print materials.
The reviews from the blog and Amazon were not well written
and they make me wary of purchasing the book for my library. There are words and
periods missing from them. I do not think either one was reliable. I got my
hopes up for the second review because it appeared more professional. I think
the reason I do not see them as reliable is because it felt like a draft
someone wrote, did not proofread, and decided to publish willy nilly. I did get
a sense for the book. It sounded like a Hallmark movie, but I pieced together
both reviews to get a sense of what it should be about, and I do not think in a
review that I should leave wondering if it is worth reading. The second review
confused me more than the first review. The reviewer made it sound like they
only liked it because it was the holiday season. If I were a collection
development librarian that would make me not purchase it. I want quality books
for my patrons.
These reviews make me want to read Angela’s Ashes. I have
heard of Frank McCourt and his works but have never read them myself. I read
the reviews that were provided and a few others online to get a sense of what
people thought about the book. These reviews make readers want to know why the
book is titled after his mother and what happened in this man’s childhood to
lead to him writing about it. The professional reviews made me more aware of
what was going on without outrightly saying what the reviewers thought. I could
tell that the book had wretched and funny scenes without being told what they
were. I would add the book to my collection.
I do not think it is fair that one type of book gets overly
reviewed and others have none. It creates a divide in what people think they want
to read. For all I know the eBooks are great works but since I do not see
professional reviews, I would be hesitant to buy them for my collection. Due to
this it greatly affects a library’s collection because librarians look at reviews
all the time to purchase books. I personally like reading both good and bad
reviews. I think it gives me a better perspective on how the community I serve would
feel about the book. As to if it is appropriate, why wouldn’t it be? I would
rather know a book is bad than buy it under the assumptions that it is some
glorious masterpiece. I work at a smaller library and I oversee ordering
databases, reference materials, and DVDs. Most of the first two I buy online
databases for but for DVDs they are all print materials. I personally take some
reviews with very little worth. When I am looking at movies to buy, I first
watch the trailer to get a sense of what the producers want me to think of the
movie. Then I look at critic reviews and lastly, I look at the reviews of
ordinary people. Depending on what the message of the movie is depends on how
seriously I take a critic review. I have learned that for movies it is better
to look at viewers’ reviews for my patrons. They tend to like the ones that
critics cannot stand but that those who have posted a review after watching it
enjoy. Since I do not order books I cannot say if I think professional reviews
should be used more. I know from talking with my coworkers that they all look
at reviews, popular author websites, and library blogs to make their decisions.
For DVDs I mostly look at Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, the Dove Foundation, Pure Flix,
PBS, Hallmark, and YouTube.
Personally, I like reading what readers have to say over
professional reviews. They seem more down to earth. However, when I am looking
for a good book, I tend to go with word-of-mouth suggestions, friends’ favorite
reads, or the good old fashioned browsing the shelves. I love browsing
bookshelves, even the ones at my own home. If I am looking for eBooks, I tend
to just read the description of the book to see if it appeals to me. Online for
my personal searching I like to look at some of my favorite authors’ websites,
Goodreads, Amazon, and bookstore recommendations. I will say I look at Library
Journal, Kirkus Review, Publisher’s Weekly, and a few others but I like reading
the articles before the reviews more than the reviews. I think it is because I
do not get to order books for the library I work at and feel like it is more of
a way for me to know some recommendations for patrons that come in asking me
for help finding a good book. I also get to look at them because my library
passes them around at work to those of us who do any type of collection development.
Abby,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you - it can hinder the access that patrons have to resources that are not reviewed. As librarians, we only have so much time to pick what we will add to the collection!
It seemed to me that the two reviews were more about how the reader felt personally, than what the book did or did not offer. That added to the unreliability to me. You may not be a Christmas book fan, but that is what this author was writing - did they succeed? After reading both reviews, I am still not sure...
You make a variety of excellent points and really dived deep into this prompt! As for your question about what books are made e-book only - the answer is pretty much every genre - BUT - the most popular hands down tends to be romance. Bravo! Full points!
ReplyDelete