Saturday, May 24, 2008

Are books dying?

For years we have been hearing people predicting that the book was dying—on its way out the door. In the future people will read books on the computer or some kind of handheld device like the new Kindle at Amazon (which I do think is neat but way too expensive). I do think those devices will gain in popularity, but at least for the near future the book is alive and well—holding its own.

Over the weekend I read an article in an airline magazine on my way to Fort Lauderdale about a project that Microsoft was involved in. It’s the high school of the future. The library doesn’t have books that you can hold in your hand. Everything is on the computer and all the students have their own laptops. They don’t have textbooks.

For the most part things are going along okay, but the students and teachers are complaining there are no books around. They must research on the Internet. Teachers go home and spends hours adapting work from the Internet to present to their students. They miss not having textbooks to supplement their teaching.

Now I don’t know about you but I can’t sit at the computer all day and especially read on top of that a story on my computer. I think my eyes get tired from the light on the computer. Don’t get me wrong. I love my computer and what it can do, but I also love a good old-fashioned book to hold at the beach. So I’m hoping there is a place for both in the future.

What do you see happening in the next ten or twenty years?

6 comments:

Debby Giusti said...

Hi Margaret,
I hope books are still around in twenty years. Surely they will be! I have to feel the pages and see the text to really enjoy the book. Computer? Well, it's okay while I'm creating the manuscript, but it's not the way I want to read the final product.

Margaret Daley said...

So true, Debby. I love a computer for my work but not for reading for pleasure.

Margaret

squiresj said...

Books have been around for centuries with all the changes that have happened. People still love the classics. I for one want to lay in my bed and unwind and read a book in comfort - not sitting at a computer and having to keep the internet all the time so spammers can crash you.
So I am doing all I can to promote Authors and there books and put them into hands of people in this area looking for good books to read.
God Bless.

Unknown said...

I sure hope books will still be around I like reading in bed or on the back step in the sun or while watching tv in the breaks and if the books really good between the breaks too.
I would get to sore reading at the computer all night.
and how do you share ebooks with friends and neighbours. I share alot of mine with an elderly neighbour.
Also our church is just starting a library (I HOPE!) and I will be doing the work so i would like to think i would still have a job as there are many non christians who can access it if it happens sorry when it happens.
One advantage of the Kindle or such ideas is reading on a plane or trip. saves the weight of the books.

Carolynn said...

I think that books will be around for a long time...we all love them too much to part with them. There's nothing better than curling up with a good book...it would be kind of hard to do that with a laptop or computer :)!

Karin said...

I like to read outside on a lawn chair in the summer---don't think that would work too well with my desk top computer.

I think if books completely disappeared it would mean the death of civilization.