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rhadin · 07-20-2013, 07:22 AM

I still support my local bookstore. I don't go as often or buy as much, but I still buy between 100 and 125 hardcovers every year. I find ebooks are great for books that I want to read once and then forget I ever read them, but not for books whose content I want to remember and which I might want to access again in the future.

I have about 5,000 ebooks. Once I read an ebook, it is moved out of sight (and out of mind). There is no really convenient way to "scan" the virtual library. There is a limit to how many books can be displayed on the e-reader screen and still be recognizable, so I don't get that virtual library view. OTOH, I have a physical library filled with hardcovers and when I want to relook at a book or a subject, I can stand in the middle of the room and scan the shelves. As I scan the shelves, I can recall (partly) what a book was about and I can find the book I am looking for with minimal difficulty.

I realize that I could create tags for ebooks, but that would need to be done after I have read the book and would take more time than I am willing to devote to dealing with the metadata.

Anyway, in order to support my physical library, I need to continue buying hardcovers, which means I need to continue to support bookstores. Most of the books I buy are bought as a result of scanning bookstore shelves, pulling a book from the shelf, and reading the blurb and maybe a few pages. I find it pleasurable to do this in person in a bookstore; I find I have no patience to do it virtually online.

07-20-2013, 07:22 AM	#16
rhadin Literacy = Understanding Posts: 4,833 Karma: 59674358 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The World of Books Device: Nook, Nook Tablet	I still support my local bookstore. I don't go as often or buy as much, but I still buy between 100 and 125 hardcovers every year. I find ebooks are great for books that I want to read once and then forget I ever read them, but not for books whose content I want to remember and which I might want to access again in the future. I have about 5,000 ebooks. Once I read an ebook, it is moved out of sight (and out of mind). There is no really convenient way to "scan" the virtual library. There is a limit to how many books can be displayed on the e-reader screen and still be recognizable, so I don't get that virtual library view. OTOH, I have a physical library filled with hardcovers and when I want to relook at a book or a subject, I can stand in the middle of the room and scan the shelves. As I scan the shelves, I can recall (partly) what a book was about and I can find the book I am looking for with minimal difficulty. I realize that I could create tags for ebooks, but that would need to be done after I have read the book and would take more time than I am willing to devote to dealing with the metadata. Anyway, in order to support my physical library, I need to continue buying hardcovers, which means I need to continue to support bookstores. Most of the books I buy are bought as a result of scanning bookstore shelves, pulling a book from the shelf, and reading the blurb and maybe a few pages. I find it pleasurable to do this in person in a bookstore; I find I have no patience to do it virtually online.