Comments on: Book Corner: the end of dog-ears?

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 03:23:14 +0000

I recently attended a symposium on the “Death of the Book” hosted by some PSU librarian scientists, and they brought up a great point–while google and other corporations proceed to scan whole texts, there isn’t an electronic reading-device that the majority of readers (expecially the readers of novels) find enjoyable to use. Blame the LCD screen. So, what they find is that every reader has a personal limit to how many pages they will read on a screen before they print the document out into a more traditional format. It usually peaks around six to eight pages, but for me, it’s much lower. More interestingly, when a document, like a short story, report, or a term paper, is sent to be scrutinized, it’s immediately printed before read.

But this isn’t to say that the internet is a wonderful, baffling thing. JSTOR alone makes up for all the crapola on YouTube, idiotic comments included.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:41:14 +0000

One wonderful aspect of storing books online is that the old-fashioned book burning will truly become a thing of the past. A book can’t be burned if it resides hidden on billions of hard drives around the world.

By: Pointy-Hatted Geek

Pointy-Hatted Geek — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 23:35:07 +0000

And is it really practical t carry that thing around? I take a book with me nearly everywhere I go. I know that most people won’t swipe your cheap paperbacks if you set them down, but what about this big piece of electronics? If you were, say, on a train or a bus and fell asleep, what’s to stop people from taking it?

By: Kasee

Kasee — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:53:20 +0000

I admit, this would be a valuable resource for scanning rare books. However, I noticed that some books are only partially scanned. Like YouTube, I guess it depends on who uploaded it and limits of presentation.

By: AD

AD — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:36:27 +0000

Electronic books are great for academic content. Oftentimes classes do only use select chapters or portions of books and the easier and more accessible these are online the better. Academic texts are also often extremely expensive, which is difficult for the average college student to afford. So in that sense e-books are great. But I also agree that they will never replace, nor would I want them to replace, real tangible books. I stare at comp screens enough at work, and when relaxing want to hold a book in my hands. Electronic form is too sterile, and impersonal, no sense of history or character like a good used book.

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:01:23 +0000

I’m reminded of an author saying that one can not write a poem on a computer…I guess the same goes for reading one as well.

By: jg

jg — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:16:38 +0000

Ok, probably stretching it a bit–but what happens if/when everything’s online, and paper becomes a thing of the past?

Or, how much easier is it to control the flow of information if it’s all electronic?

By: truovrld

truovrld — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:11:39 +0000

I love the concept and convience of ebooks. An ebook reader would fit much better in my purse. And all my wonderful bound books could stay safely at home!

By: catherine Thomas

catherine Thomas — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:10:51 +0000

Forme, the act of picking up an old, favorite (bound) book and settling into a comfortable chair with one of my cats is very soothing. It take the edge off my hectic days. I just can’t see an electronic “book” giving me the same relief.

By: Krys

Krys — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:24:53 +0000

I agree that the searchable functionality that ebooks provide are great, as well as the content sharing. But, like the others, glue and paper books will always be dear to me. When I read for pleasure, it’s usually because I want to get away from the hustle-’n-bustle of my daily life, which means going low tech.