Are printed books something that will soon be relegated to the historical scrapheap?
Would love to get your response to our poll, and hear your comments in the space below.
Loading ...Will We Have Printed Books (New) in 25 Years?
Loading ... Loading ...18 Comments
Leave a Comment
Technology is making them obsolete. Time marches on!
As long as there are tactile learners in the world, we need to support their learning style by supplying tangible books.
Ah the computer geeks and all who say that nothing exists beyond the web and the ever present computer. I hate to say it but if the infrastructure fails and the power dies there will be no computers, our records will die, and the world could grind to a halt. At least if we have books we may survive until the year 2050.
Although I agree that technology is making the printed book rare, there is just something about holding a book in your hand that iBook, eReader, Kindle and Nook (my favorite) you can’t get from using an electronic reader. I also think Motivational Speakers and other public figures are encouraging reading a traditional book will increase readership using books.
Research is showing that millennials prefer print books to e-books in spite of their being tech savvy. Also, as a teacher (high school then college) I can tell you that students want to have a print textbook; they much prefer them in spite of the difference in cost. Time may march on, but our brains dictate how we learn best, not time!
Technology marches on, but the tactile experience will remain. I foresee academic print books disappearing but not the pleasure of reading which includes the tactile as part of the experience.
Anybody who thinks we should allow physical books to disappear from the marketplace should read the book “The Last Librarian.” Either as a physical book or as an e-book.
Books are self sustaining, technology is not. Technology is awesome when there are no interruptions in power source and connections are working well. Books held in hands and manipulated are very important especially to young children. Wouldn’t want expensive technology in the hands of a toddler or young child unsupervised. I used to leave books in the crib of my children and would wake to find them holding the book and enjoying the pictures! Talk about timeless and priceless!
Technology changes too much. Books are stable and readable when there is no power. Past civilizations knew this and preserved the written word in book form.
A printed book does not depend on an outside power source, and it’s very hard to go back to a previous section to re-read. Print rules!
I work with middle-schoolers and suprisingly, these digital natives still prefer to hold a book and flip the pages over the electronic alternative. Even when I encourage them to look for the e-book because the print books are all checked out, the majority will opt to put the print version on hold and wait for it to come in rather than reading the electronic version. There’s just something about holding a book in your hands and being able to mark a page and flip back to a favorite passage, or even sneak a peek at the ending!
I agree about students (and many adults) who prefer a printed version of a book rather than the digital, non-tactile one. I am a high school librarian, and when I query my students as to print v. digital, they choose print hands-down.
Tony read or rent the movie or read the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It is based upon a world without print books. The books are all electronics. The book and/or movie will provide a visual and food for thought.
We have polled the students at our school and they do not want ebooks. They prefer an actual book. Many of them want to annotate them. They say it is easier to read than an ebook on their phone or tech device.
I think printed literature will always be around. Technology is nice until a Carrington event makes it our next Library of Alexandria.
Printed books are not made obsolete by changing technologies. 45 years ago, when I was in jr. high school/high school, it was predicted that our society would be paperless. We all know how that turned out.
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
― Ray Bradbury
Ebooks’ share of the marketplace has leveled off at about 20%. More books are being printed now than ever before. I own 2 different ereaders, but I read most of my books in print rather than on my Kindle or my other ereader, unless I am traveling.
I teach English and Creative Writing in high school.
Last year, our county dissembled the library and replaced it with a lab.
Most of my students were livid.
The BEST writers and readers still use hard copy books. They do NOT like to read on screen for various reasons. Keep in mind, these are teenagers who have all the technology at their fingertips. We say, let technology have it’s place, and leave us our books.