Good Old Fashioned Books

All of the content of this course truly has made me think about how much I value a good old fashioned book. There is so much analysis being done preservation and digitization of information, and I understand and believe that it is a fascinating, relavent, necessary topic, but I can't stand the thought of books "going away."

This weekend, I went online to start reading "The Access Principle." After a few moments I realized I absolutely would not be reading a 380 page book from my laptop. Contrary to what has been suggested by everything I've been reading about the desire of consumers for fast, free content, I was very willing to spend the hour required to get in my car, drive to Barnes & Noble, wait in line, pay $35, and drive home, just so I could have a physical copy instead of a free digital version of this book. (Well, not entirely physical, I'm still waiting for it to be shipped to me!)

Interestingly, as I read "Understanding Digital Libraries," the book covered this topic, but not to the extent I would expect. In fact, several articles I've read mention that people like to have books because they are portable, lighter, less subject to damage, and don't require battery power. I would agree these are benefits of books, but it's more than that to me. Today I laid outside in my hammock with the breeze blowing, sun shining and leaves rustling reading my copy of "Double Fold." My head was comfortable on the hammock pillow and even though I read for over an hour, my eyes never grew tired. This experience would never have been possible even if I had been reading from a notebook computer. I sit in front of my laptop 9 hours a day for work, another hour sending e-mails and writing in my LiveJournal account to keep up with friends in other states, and more recently another 2-3 hours doing school work. Being able to take a good old-fashioned paper book and get outside AWAY from all technology is intrinsically very valueable to me - but that benefit of a print book seems to be ignored in all of the writings I've encountered.