Okay… I don’t know where to begin on this topic, but you finally got me to de-lurk. Well, firstly I am the daughter of a librarian. I grew up crawling on the carpeted floors and running amidst the stacks of university and community libraries. I learned the love of reading both at home and in libraries. Though I no longer frequent libraries on the regular weekly basis I used to, I still support the need for libraries wholeheartedly. I agree they are vital community meeting places, but I also believe that for many children their first real experience with a book….choosing it, holding it, reading it, even taking it home…all of this is usually through a community library. Growing up with educated but poor (grad student) parents, the only opportunity to get my hands on a book, especially a new book was first the local children’s library. Technology as wonderful as it is cannot yet match that elemental tactile experience. You gotta walk before you run.
That said, I believe that most libraries will eventually transform into large, mostly archival repositories. E-book technology and online resources will eventually take the place of libraries for more casual readers. For scholars, viewing original texts will still be considered necessary, but even that is being challenged with online high-resolution archives. Tech will bring about these changes, but it will be a bittersweet process. If you don’t believe, try explaining to your teenager how you would wait anxiously outside the record store to buy a 45 of the latest hit by your favorite group.
Ahem, Bob, about the benefits (which I gather you question) of reading romance novels, I will let Jane speak to that, but I'll let you know that in addition to doing a fair amount of scientific, technical, and informational reading, I am also an avid romance reader. We're everywhere...
