I read today that teeenagers in Japan are hooked on mobile phone novels, with books being written especially for the small screen and sent in 1,600 character instalments. You probably think /hope? as I do that we in the west can't possibly part with our lovely dog-eared paper versions?
Well guess what? In the US Amazon have just launched their electronic book -the Kindle and it sold out within 4 weeks of going online.
Do those of us who think it will never replace the real thing (including me) need to have bit of a rethink? What are the implications for the future of libraries? Have you thought about it?
Maybe not in my lifetime but.......?
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I have been watching the debate regarding e-readers for quite some time now as a lover of both books and gadgets it seems like a perfect combination. As yet my hard earned cash remains in my pocket as I am yet to be completely convinced by any of the technologies out there and don't want to be left with the equivalent of the Betamax or more recently HD-DVD version.
There will come a day when the Ipod of E-readers hits the shops and it will prove the tipping point for e-book content but when will it come and what will the implications be? In my opinion the book will never die, gadgets will never smell, feel or look quite as good as a new paperback novel but where we might need to consider the wider impact is in non-fiction books. How can the lengthy book production process compete with an e-book which can be updated in an instant ? In today's fast moving, media friendly environment, current affairs titles are out of date the second they leave the writer's desk; reference guides can be downloaded on the go. Imagine travelling with just an e-reader and the ability to download restaurant, hotel, tourist guides straight to your palm rather than breaking your back carrying hefty Lonely Planet guides. Libraries will need to address this eventuality much the same way as music retailers such as HMV now have docking stations in branches so you can download music straight to your MP3 player.
Technology will advance and these will become popular, with the digitisation of everything apace, it is only a matter of time. The people with the smarts will be thinking about it now and be ready for it!
I have owned a kindle now for 2 years - I live in Germany and it did make it easy to get books from the US in English. More importantly - it is often cheaper. I love being able to have textbooks for my classes on there. (I teach for 2 different universities part time and work as a part time K-12 librarian)
I hate that I cannot share a book after I have read it... I love being able to have 20 books with me on vacation as I'm a fast reader. I hate text books that have diagrams that don't translate well to the e-format - but love being able to read at home on my computer screen and on the way to work on my kindle - and then syncing so I never have to look for my place. I will never stop loving the feel of a paper book in my hand, but I did buy a really cool leather cover for my kindle which makes it look and feel like a real book... Also, I like to be able to make notes and annotations in my kindle... Is it perfect? No. Will it replace books? Never. Will I ever part with mine? Probably if an updated version comes out. We're about to return to the US where I will really be able to download books instantly by wireless.
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