My sweet cousin Jentry sent me a link to this NPR article titled "In Which, Emphatically And Forever, I Decline To Care About How Books Smell."
It says it much better than I attempted to and it's funny to boot.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
SShhh, don't tell him about the Kindle
or the host of other very successful e-readers on the market today. In preparation for my thesis project I have been going back over my old notes from my coursework. I read this article entitled "10 reasons why the internet is not a substitute for the library" and this reason got me riled about my favorite soap box topic.
#6 Hey, Bud, You Forgot about E-book Readers
Try reading an e-book reader for more than a half-hour. Headaches and eyestrain are the best results. Besides, if what you’re reading is more than two pages long, what do you do? Print it. Where’s a tree hugger when you really need one? Moreover, the cost of readers runs from $200 to $2,000, the cheaper ones being harder on the eyes. Will this change? Doubtless, but right now there’s no market forces making it change. Will it change in less than 75 years? Unlikely! A-freakin-men!
How silly must he feel right about now when Kindle sales exceeded 8 million last year?
I don't disagree that libraries are very important for many reasons, but I reject the idea that libraries are at war with technology. In fact, if you work in a library or have ever been in one, you know that is just plain silly.
Have you seen those "I pledge to read the written word" icons on blogs? As if to suggest that printed words are better, more enlightened than digital ink and that authors need our tactile observance to survive and write good books. My husband and I have contemplated creating an "I pledge to only read cuneiform on stone tablets" icon for my blog, but that seemed a bit too snarky.
The point is, reading is reading and one form, as long as it works for you, is not superior to another. But what about potentially loosing your e-books? E-books don't really let you own titles. What about the feel of a book in your hands? I love a real book for those reasons - but they are not about reading; they are about having, owning and touching - not bad things - but not about content consumption.
Luddites and techies - we are all in this together. Buy or check out, download or pull back the cover, paper or digital, whatever. Just read.
#6 Hey, Bud, You Forgot about E-book Readers
Try reading an e-book reader for more than a half-hour. Headaches and eyestrain are the best results. Besides, if what you’re reading is more than two pages long, what do you do? Print it. Where’s a tree hugger when you really need one? Moreover, the cost of readers runs from $200 to $2,000, the cheaper ones being harder on the eyes. Will this change? Doubtless, but right now there’s no market forces making it change. Will it change in less than 75 years? Unlikely! A-freakin-men!
How silly must he feel right about now when Kindle sales exceeded 8 million last year?
I don't disagree that libraries are very important for many reasons, but I reject the idea that libraries are at war with technology. In fact, if you work in a library or have ever been in one, you know that is just plain silly.
Have you seen those "I pledge to read the written word" icons on blogs? As if to suggest that printed words are better, more enlightened than digital ink and that authors need our tactile observance to survive and write good books. My husband and I have contemplated creating an "I pledge to only read cuneiform on stone tablets" icon for my blog, but that seemed a bit too snarky.
The point is, reading is reading and one form, as long as it works for you, is not superior to another. But what about potentially loosing your e-books? E-books don't really let you own titles. What about the feel of a book in your hands? I love a real book for those reasons - but they are not about reading; they are about having, owning and touching - not bad things - but not about content consumption.
Luddites and techies - we are all in this together. Buy or check out, download or pull back the cover, paper or digital, whatever. Just read.
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