Oh no, another "I like the smell of real books" discussion

[Sydney's Mom]

I thought I fully embraced the digital revolution, at least when it came to ebooks. However, I read the article about the free kindle, and came across this quote:

As a matter of fact, I'm writing this article sitting in the former card catalog room of Doheny Library on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. It's a gorgeous space, all four walls lined with built-in wooden card catalog drawers, stacked six feet high. Every one of those drawers is empty.

I think this is sad. I sat in the stacks of the Harvard Law School Library to write my third year paper, and it was very dusty, and full of books. There were books piled up everywhere. That is a wonderful memory, and the current students writing their papers in their dorm rooms on theirs Macs isn't quite the same. But I guess there are other memories people can retain from their school days - the thrill of hacking a reference volume?

Even though I was completely alone in my carrell, this digital revolution is making us more isolated, and more intolerant. Today, knowing I could work remotely on my computer, I would not subject myself to those dark, dusty stacks. I never go to the bookstore anymore, and I usually check out books at 3 am. When I ride the train, half the train is playing Angry Birds on their phones (I just finished the St. Patricks Day level!), and the rest are reading books or newspapers or sleeping. 10 years ago, when I first started riding the train, I made "train friends", and we got together outside the train. Now, Metra is bringing us "quiet cars." You cannot talk on your cellphone (yay!) or carry on conversations with your fellow passengers. That is great for me, as sometimes those conversations detract from my book, but what does that mean for us as a society? I bet those quiet cards will be packed!

[kindlekitten]

the counter to that is how many books did you need for your research that were in the rare books and could never leave the library? that was a constant challenge for me. now, theoretically, all of those books can be available as ebooks

[abookreader]

To me, it brings back intense memories of my college days when I, as a non-traditional student, was at an extreme disadvantage because I was not free to spend all my time in the campus library accessing the study materials.
I was usually trying to study at home with a baby on my lap and library hours usually conflicted with bath time, play time, or story time.

I'll take easy access to information over "train friends" any day of the week.

[DiapDealer]

Everything changes. That doesn't mean it gets better... only that it changes. Sink or swim.

[leebase]

Reading a book interferes with "train friends" as well. Books are every bit as isolating as any electronic gadget. I LIKE the isolation of reading a book, whether on a gadget or in paper. When I want to talk to someone, I put the book down. Same thing with any gadget.

And thank God we have "personal music" via headphones rather than being subjected to somebody else's boombox or transistor radio.

And frankly -- I find "train friends" talking loudly to each other every bit as annoying as folks talking loudly on their cell phones.



Lee

[VicLavigne]

As a university research assistant in 1989, I spent countless hours chasing down references, locating scientific journals, ordering books and journals from other campuses, and making tons of xerox copies of useful articles. Of course all this was in the university library. Today, I find this type of legwork is greatly reduced (though not completely eliminated) due to electronic tracking systems and electronic publications. I do like the feel of paper and books, but efficiency is the big win here.

[wyndslash]

eventually we all give up our independence to technology and have chips implanted in our brains like that Dr. Who episode

[chamekke]

I like the social quality of libraries ... the sense of other people reading/studying in a common place, even if they're not all focused on the same thing.

But I'll never miss the old card catalogues. Online searches are a vast improvement.

As for feel and smell of books, I don't think dead-tree format is going away any time soon. In the meantime, maybe someone will invent a book-scented cologne that we can spray on our readers? Maybe something along the lines of Cuir de Russie, with its leather and wood notes ;-)

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by chamekke

As for feel and smell of books, I don't think dead-tree format is going away any time soon. In the meantime, maybe someone will invent a book-scented cologne that we can spray on our readers? Maybe something along the lines of Cuir de Russie, with its leather and wood notes ;-)

Ack!

No spraying things on electronics!!

Maybe scented strips you could stick to the cover or back side of the device, but otherwise, no spraying liquids on the electronics!

[J. Strnad]

I never met anyone at the library. I did chide a homeless man once for tearing something out of a magazine, but that kind of social intercourse I can do without.

Libraries need to reinvent themselves, become more of a community center or something. I don't have the answer.

But as noted above, things change, not always for the better or clearly for the worse, often a mix. You have to roll with the changes, take advantage of the good stuff and learn to deal with the bad. Life's a river.

[wyndslash]

why can't we have e-librarians? we're still talking about books, just in a different format. but we'd still need qualified people for archiving and inputting info (i guess you could point out people who do data entry work, but i'm sure the work of librarians go far beyond that). it's just done differently now

[Giggleton]

I like reading on the train. I use my Kindle on the train every day!! Maybe I'll take a train trip across the country and just read the whole time



I wonder if Amazon would sponsor that??

[chamekke]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Ack!

No spraying things on electronics!!

Maybe scented strips you could stick to the cover or back side of the device, but otherwise, no spraying liquids on the electronics!

Oh, I know... hence the wink emoticon. (Sorry to have alarmed you there.)

I'm actually rather amused by the idea of scenting an ebook reader so that it smells like a dead tree book. But you never know, someone might run with it!

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by chamekke

I'm actually rather amused by the idea of scenting an ebook reader so that it smells like a dead tree book. But you never know, someone might run with it!

Sure. And they could have different scents: "newly printed hardback", "well-aged tome", and so on.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Sure. And they could have different scents: "newly printed hardback", "well-aged tome", and so on.

Don't forget mouldy paperback that's been in a damp garage for 40 years. You would also need some on-screen images to recreate it properly though — squashed flies and the like.