Listener's Advisory could be a whole unique department in and of itself at the library where I work - audiobooks (in both physical format and streaming/downloadable format) are extremely popular, and we receive many RA questions that are directed at the AV department and/or the RA department!
When thinking about performing RA services for audiobooks, I like to keep in mind the format of the book in the interview: is the patron just interested in the physical audiobook (which can be upwards of 15-30+ discs!), or do they have the capability of listening to the book in digital format? Will they be listening to it on their phone in the car, or will they be using an MP3 player at the gym?
The narration is also very important. The nice thing about audiobooks is that accents and dialects can be heard, and can help to bring alive characters or accents that can be difficult to imagine if the patron is unfamiliar with the dialect or accent. Some patrons have favorite narrators, or prefer a male or female narrator more than the other! The characterization by the narrator - whether or not the narrator can make the characters seem alive and real - is also important. Sometimes, I (and many of my patrons) have reported that they just don't feel connected to a narrator. I like to suggest LibriVox recordings to my patrons because they're free, transferable/transportable, and you can preview several different narrators prior to selecting which version of the audiobook you'd like to listen to. I often find that background music can be terribly distracting for audiobook listeners, although some patrons do tell me that they listen to soft, light music in the background in addition to their audiobook.
Some unique appeal factors for audiobooks can include the option of multiple narrators, if the title is a full cast production, or if the book is read by the author. The actual appeal terms for the performance of the narrator and his or her style, such as if the narrator sounds youthful or has a deep voice, can also be considered.
Pacing is often substantially different for an audiobook compared to a print edition of the same title - I remember when I first read the last Harry Potter book: I probably read the last 200 pages in an hour, racing to get to the end, whereas with an audiobook this wouldn't have been possible (although you can often change the speed at which the audio is played, such as 1.5x, 2.5x, etc.)
One issue that arises is that some titles aren't available to public libraries in audiobook format - or are unavailable in digital audiobook format. If a title is available in digital audiobook format, it might be available only for specific devices (WMA vs. MP3, etc.) I was pleased to discover at the PLA conference a few weeks ago that NoveList will soon be incorporating audiobooks into their collection, which can help greatly with RA services!
With eBook RA, the format plays an important aspect in recommending titles to patrons. Devices that use e-ink are often found to be very similar to reading the print of a physical book, although the weight and flipping through paper and feeling the edges of a book against your skin or the smell of an older, musty book simply aren't there. Screen resolution, personalization preferences, such as background color, brightness, screen size, font size, font face, colors, etc., all play a part in patron preferences, as well. One point to share with patrons is that the book can be read horizontally or vertically, and can be adjusted for large type for disabled or visually impaired patrons. If a patron has arthritis or another disability, will they be comfortable holding a device?
It's often frustrating for patrons to figure out how much of the book they have left to read: OverDrive read, Adobe Digital Editions, Kindle, and many other platforms inform patrons how many pages of the book are left while they read - but depending on font sized and other factors, this number can change dramatically, and it's just not the same as physically looking at a book and saying, "I still have ____ left" to read! eBook pacing can also be affected by how much text is actually displayed on the screen - the amount of text and its size and look can easily be changed, however.
If the book uses footnotes, images or other materials that require jumping through the book, will an eBook be appropriate for their purposes? It can be difficult to jump back and forth through a lengthy eBook if there aren't quick links included.
I think that RA services for eBooks and audiobooks will need to continually evolve as new devices and gadgets appear on the market, and their OS are updated. The platforms used, such as 3M, OverDrive, Kindle, epub, DRM, and all of these facets of the wonderful world of digital publishing and access to materials will also affect RA services.
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