Will e-book readers make your library obsolete?

[fugazied]

I think for the books I 'love' I'd like to have a hardcover copy just so I can feel and smell the paper and enjoy that hands on feeling.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by fugazied

I think for the books I 'love' I'd like to have a hardcover copy just so I can feel and smell the paper and enjoy that hands on feeling.

That's exactly what I do. My very, very favourite books (Dickens, LOTR, etc) I buy nicely bound hardback versions of. An eBook reader can't replace the feel - and even the smell - of a nicely bound book.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I used to save magazines... but I realized I never ever went back to them. So, they ended up in the recycle bin. I basically cut down to 0 mag subs now. I can read most of that stuff on line. I mostly subscribed to programming and PC mags.

Originally Posted by Jellby

In research and academy I believe paper subscriptions to journals are dying, we are seeing them more and more being replaced by some kind of internet access...

But with a paper journal you can have a quick glance at the articles, watch the graphs and figures, read the titles and maybe find something interesting unexpectedly. With electronic access you mostly only find what you search, so in a way something is lost...

I go back to my magazines regularly, especially to find references to technology or ideas that I may use in a future novel (something I'm doing now for my next one, in fact).

That's why I hope to eventually see an electronic "scrapbook" device that easily and efficiently saves entire issues of magazines or specific articles and "scraps" like photos, blurbs, links, etc... order them according to your customized folders, and access them whenever you like. (It'll probably be essentially a tablet PC...)

Yes, Indigo, there is always the threat of something happening to your data. But print books are subject to fire damage, water damage, age damage, theft and just plain loss... I'd say both threats can be minimized with adequate planning and care, and I wouldn't consider it enough of a reason not to go electronic.

[crash86]

I have a large collection of paper books and space was becoming an issue. After getting my Sony reader in September I have been using it constantly! I have a large digital collection which is easy to carry around and have just about given up on reading regular books. The digital reader is great for larger volume books of 600+ pages with less bulk especially if the books are hardcover. There is a place for both but for me it's digital from now on.

[giddion]

On the topic of newsprint and death, Rocky Mountain News of Colorado is closing its doors tomorrow.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090227/...in_news_closes