A Library Without Books

Zoombie said:

Atmosphere.

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Won't matter.

ABC News just did a story on this tonight. In addition to the MA library, they mentioned a school in Virginia that's testing the use of iPhones in an English classroom instead of books.

The iPhone seems like a stretch to me (it's so small for long-term reading), but the story made all the same points we have in this and other threads: technology is cheaper than textbooks.

I just finished a second Bachelor's degree through a completely online program. The library was also online, where I had access to almost any journal articled I could want, through a hundred different databases. I could browse them from my desk and choose the ones I thought were relevent, then download them and print them if I wanted.

If I had had to look through shelves of books for the proper article, papers would have taken much longer to write. The library also had books you could borrow electronically and physical books they would send you, but the online thing was DA BOMB.

Now, for leisure reading, I like books, but I'm entertaining the idea of an ebook reader, mostly because I don't like to get rid of books, and have very limited space in my tiny home. I DO re-read occasionally.

I think the wiping out of their entire collection is premature. First of all Harry Potter isn't even AVAILABLE as an ebook and probably never will be. I'm sure there are tons of other books also not available in that format.

Then again, if you're able to afford to send your child to Prep school, you can probably afford to go to the bookstore if there's something you really need.

This is so idiotic and short-sited a move that I'm gob-smacked.

Ebooks are great. I have hundreds; I've produced hundreds.

But file formats will change, and have changed, as well the ways and devices we read them on.

There are also all sorts of licensing and legal ramifications that they are clearly not thinking about.

Kurtz said:

Give me my inscribed clay tablets god damnit. They'll outlive human civilisation!

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I'm painting my next novel on the walls of a cave in the form of pictographs.

robeiae said:

Won't matter.

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Its worked kinda well for the past few thousand years.

That and the magnetosphere...

I think its a good idea. The future will be digital. As much as I like books and having a printed copy of my little short story sure was cool, print production is bad for the environment.

I don't have any emotional attachment to the concept of the book, so I won't shed a tear to see them go. In fact, I'd like to encourage the disappearance of certain dead-tree books sooner rather than later.

Zoombie said:

Its worked kinda well for the past few thousand years.

That and the magnetosphere...

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Because all those computer chips from Ancient Egypt are still functioning just fine?

Jcomp said:

If all books go digital... what the hell are people going to put on their coffee tables?

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A nice shiny Kindle?!

stormie said:

A nice shiny Kindle?!

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Or...the table could have a built-in book screen!

*rushes off to patent the idea*

robeiae said:

Or...the table could have a built-in book screen!

*rushes off to patent the idea*

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There actually are coffee tables that are like computers - touch screen, you can edit and rearrange photos, use the internet...seriously. I'll see if I can find it. My dad showed me the link once.

I love real books. But mostly for pleasure reading. I have a compulsion and am constantly buying books and keeping them. I love them. I collect them. I love the feel and the smell, and the idea of libraries shutting down scares and saddens me.

However, for research, since I was in high school years ago, I've used the internet. I've only used books when it was required. So I don't know if it's a huge deal.

The Iphones for books is insane, though.

Here it is:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html

Crud.

*wanders off to invent edible underwear*

robeiae said:

Crud.

*wanders off to invent edible underwear*

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No, we're not going to post links to edible underwear articles now, rob, but take our word for it, you're too late again.

Saw through that, did ya?



Can I invent thongs?

What are those? Maybe if you provide a few pictures we can make a better judgement?

I love e-books. I read them on my Mac, my iPhone, and my PDA. And I make e-books for my students. I teach with the Web. But I want the students to have poems and novels and stories for lit classes on hardcopy.

You know why? There's no standard that is universal for e-books. I can't say "go to page 33" unless the e-book is a fixed format .pdf.

Sure you can annotate an e-book, but the annotations are hidden.

Now, until more people are creating e-books like this, I'll be teaching with hard copy.

This seems both premature and short-sighted.

They ought to go to measures to ensure they are forewarned about file format changes, and improvements to the technology, or their students are going to be the ones paying...

Don said:

What are those? Maybe if you provide a few pictures we can make a better judgement?

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No pics but apparently they look like... eye-patches...?

Jcomp said:

No pics but apparently they look like... eye-patches...?

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Careful about crossing threads, you're likely to strip them.

Rob, we've been hit by several major solar flares in recent history...um, thus far, society has not collapsed.

http://spaceweather.com/solarflares/topflares.html

Zoombie said:

Rob, we've been hit by several major solar flares in recent history...um, thus far, society has not collapsed.

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That's a matter of opinion, IMO.

Zoombie said:

Rob, we've been hit by several major solar flares in recent history...um, thus far, society has not collapsed.

http://spaceweather.com/solarflares/topflares.html

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Are those, in fact, "major"? You've got thirty some years of data for millions of years of history. Next thing, you'll be claiming you can predict climate change...

That's a good point, Rob.

Though, I do have to say...um, would not a super giant solar flare that could punch through the earth's atmosphere and magnetosphere and still be strong enough to damage computers cause more serious problems?

Like...a sudden upswing of irreversible cases of dead?