Library Questions: Why don't you have the large print or the audiobook?
Why don't you have a large print version?
This is a question that we get a lot. A LOT a lot. And it's a good question! If we had our way about it, the library would buy all of the formats that people borrow from us as soon as the book is released. But that's not always possible.
Publishers understandably don't want to create a bunch of books that won't be bought. That's a waste of time and resources. So, many books are published first in what we call "regular print" (or standard print) hardbacks. If that run went well, a publisher might go ahead and do a paperback version. Then a large print version and/or book on CD version.
Usually, it's an entirely different publisher that makes the large print copies, too! So Penguin or Random House (just to name two random publishing houses) might sell the rights to create a large print copy to a company like Thorndike (a common publisher of large print books). That company then reformats the book to create a large print copy. That can take months and months to create and distribute.
That being said, some authors who have a KNOWN audience (James Patterson is a good example) are popular enough that large print copies are made at the same time. Some authors may have specifically requested that with their publishers. It all depends.
If we have the opportunity to buy our first copy as large print, we often take it. It's a more accessible copy for those who have vision problems and means we don't have to buy two copies of every book. (MORE SHELF SPACE FOR DIFFERENT BOOKS!!!)
Some readers prefer that we buy a copy of each. That is not always possible depending on space, budget, availability, etc. It never hurts to ask, but keep that in mind when asking for us to have duplicate copies of the same book.
Okay, so that's why you don't have a large print.
But I listen to audiobooks!
There's a few reasons we don't have books on audiobook. I'll break it down by format:
Book on CD: These are just INCREDIBLY expensive to purchase. Some of them can be $90! Plus, not as many people have access to a CD player at home or in their car. (You can check out a CD player with our library of things though!) They also just take up a lot of space on the shelf? They're short and wide, so there's a lot of dead air above the top of the case and we can fit less CD cases on the shelf then books. If it's not an author that we know many of our patrons listen to audiobooks, we might not purchase it right away. That's not to say you shouldn't ask! If we know it will check out, we're much more likely to buy it if we can.
Playaway: If you've never checked out a Playaway before, it's basically an MP3 player that only has an audiobook on it. You plug your headphones into the jack and hit play! It's honestly perfect for those who want to listen to an audiobook without being connected to the internet. But it'll take time to build the collection, plus we have to wait for the company to buy the rights to create the device.
E-Audiobook: A lot of patrons prefer to listen to audiobooks on Libby and Hoopla. But that can be tricky for a few reasons.
To start, sometimes we will NEVER be able to get a copy of that e-audiobook because the author signed an exclusivity contract with a digital distributor. Dungeon Crawler Carl comes to mind immediately. Audible gets brought up the most and does have exclusives and original content that's only on that platform. Sometimes these are contracts for a set amount of time, so maybe in a few years we'd be able to obtain a copy. But that's an exception not the rule. We're seeing some companies, like Blackstone, make contracts for Book on CD versions of Audible books (WE'RE GETTING DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL ASAP!), but that still misses out on the convenience of e-audiobooks.
Another problem is that we do not own the e-audiobooks. Ebooks and e-audiobooks are leased to libraries so after a set amount of check outs (26 is pretty standard) or a set amount of time (usually about 2 years), we must repurchase the lease. And that lease is good for ONE copy of the audiobook. If three people want to listen, then everyone takes turns (like a traditional library book) or we buy three copies.
Why don't buy three copies? It's just generally expensive. It makes more sense for us to buy one physical item that we can keep and repair for decades (we have items for check out older than some of the staff working at the library!) then to pay to buy the same item over and over again.
To help each other, libraries join up in groups to purchase ebook and e-audiobook leases. We're part of the Oklahoma Virtual Library. So libraries of all sizes chip in what they can to purchase as many leases in bulk to save money in each budget. We might fund a couple of James Pattersons, another library funds a couple of Nora Roberts, and then all of our patrons have access to them. This is especially great when the leases are timed and not check out based. But that also means more readers are trying to check out the same copies of the books. It's a balancing act.
So what do I do then?!
We understand how frustrating it is for a book you really want to read to be completely unavailable! So here's what we recommend you do:
Ask about alternative formats: If you can read the book another way, we will do what we can to make that happen! For instance, there's been ebooks/audiobooks on Libby with an 8 month wait that nobody has checked out from the library yet!
Ask to borrow the book through interlibrary loan: while it does have a cost (usually around $5-6), interlibrary loan can be a great way to get large print books or books on CD that we can't purchase right now for whatever reason.
Ask staff for reader's advisory: We're always happy to help you find similar books and authors that do have large print or audiobook copies in our library!
Talk to those who can change the system: The only way for publishers and authors to know that you want large print or audiobook copies is to tell them! It wouldn't have to be anything big, but a nice email to say "hey, I love this book/author/genre and it would be great if it was in this other format earlier." Authors know that they're readers want these things, but it's always great to have the proof to show the publishers.
Ask for the item to be purchased: If it can be, it likely will be. Not all items fit our collection development policy (all library policies are under our FAQ tab), and not all items will be available in that format. But we can't do anything if we don't know that you want it.
Last ditch scenario: join an additional library system. Many libraries (though not all) have a process for nonresidents to join up and use library resources. These may be limited to those who work or go to school in the area, or to specific distances from the library, etc, etc, etc. Since libraries are often funded through city budgets and local grants, you will likely have to pay a fee (usually yearly) if you live outside of their service area. That being said, most of the ones I've seen are less than the cost of a hardback book, so that's not bad for a year's access to an expanded resource pool. Make sure you do a little digging before embarking on this option: libraries share ebook catalogs and you might be surprised to find that you didn't actually get access to different materials.
Do you have other library questions? We're starting a whole series!
