Prompt Response Week 16

1 - They've changed in format: I read most of my books on my kindle now, as it's easier to transport around and I don't have to remember to renew the book or return it on the right day. My audiobook listening is about the same, but I typically get those through electronic means, too, which means I'm listening to them on my phone instead of a CD or cassette player.


2 - Honestly, I see it changing some in regards to formatting, but not drastically, like it did when ebooks were introduced. People have still shown that they like physical books, and ebook sales have stabilized over recent years to help back this up. They've actually dropped, according to this article, but that brings up my second point: if the tides are going to change in regards to books, it's going to be the publishers changing, and/or the types of books people are reading changing.

By publishers, I'm referring again to the above article, that notes that while ebook sales have dropped, they've only really done so in relation to the big publishing names. Indie publishers, or self published authors, are picking up some of that slack. This will mean changes and challenges for public libraries in the future, if it continues in this manner, as they may need to reevaluate their collection development criteria, and the wants of their populations.

By the types of books people are reading, I'm thinking of author and character diversity of populations generally underrepresented in traditional publishing. We Need Diverse Books
is a great place to start if you're new to the movement, though it generally focuses on YA and children's books. I hope this trend continues over the next two decades, and that it travels further into adult fiction.