Mustiness

It looks like print books are actually here to stay, not that they ever really went away. This bodes well for the future of libraries, and the library profession as a viable career option.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/13/books-ebook-publishers-paper?CMP=fb_gu

Rumours of my death are greatly exaggerated

Book industry observers have long predicted that the ebook would eventually put the bookstore out of business, just like what happened to Borders in 2011. Ebooks have definitely caused market disruption, but it remains to be seen what their lasting impact will be. Some ebook retailers, such as Amazon, report increasing sales year on year. However, looking at the industry as a whole, the majority of book sales are still in print. The resilience of paper books over electronic also bodes well for the future of libraries.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/business/media/the-plot-twist-e-book-sales-slip-and-print-is-far-from-dead.html?_r=0

One of life's little ironies

Naomi S. Baron has released the findings of a survey comparing use of e-reader devices to printed books. These findings corroborate with similar studies, which consistently show that readers of printed books have better concentration levels, and retain more of what they read than those using e-readers.

At work we have an iPad as a way of encouraging students to use our ebook platform, and I also recently bought one of my own. I went to town loading it up with some free and public domain ebooks, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Charles Dickens's Great Expectations.

I may or may not download some non fiction titles as well, because I prefer to read them more carefully. The irony comes from me using the internet to express the opinion that it's better to read in print than online. What do you prefer?


http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/12/the-case-against-kindle-why-reading-paper-books-is-better-for-your-mind-and-body/

Why my job isn't quite obsolete yet

The Atari 400 computer, released in 1979

According to a report from NPR, the Pew Research Center has just released a study on young Americans' use of libraries, technology, and books. Its findings appear to show that despite the growth in the use of e-books and e-readers, there is still very much a place for libraries in the digital age. Younger readers, that is, those aged between 18 and 29, who are enthusiastic users of new technology, are still reading print books.

They are using ebooks, this is in addition to print books, and is not instead of them. Also, libraries are finding new ways of engaging with this age group, such as providing them with a social space, for example.

This is what is happening in the public library sector; it remains to be seen how things will play out in academic or special libraries. For one thing, ebook technology has not matured yet. Technology based disciplines such as computer science and engineering have moved away from print resources and towards digital distribution. Because the body of knowledge in these disciplines develops so rapidly, the problem was that these resources were often obsolete before shipping. In other disciplines, such as theology, missiology, youth studies, education, psychology, humanities, business studies and the arts, the body of knowledge develops more slowly, so this is less of an issue. 

My reading of the situation is that if I am still a librarian in 10 years' time, technological trends will mean that my job will look a lot different from what it is today. There will be more ebook loans and use of electronic resources, and less time and money spent on acquiring, processing, and circulating physical resources.  

http://www.npr.org/2012/10/23/163414069/americas-facebook-generation-is-reading-strong

Kindling

Age columnist Michael Shmith recently bought himself a Kindle, and so he doesn't like it very much, apparently. He must be a died in the wool book lover, because he doesn't warm to the experience of reading text on a screen and swiping your finger to turn the pages. Hence his spiffy new Kindle has barely been used.

I have only dipped my toes into the slightly uncharted waters of ebooks this year. Just over a month ago, we started providing ebook loans to students at the college I work for.  To educate myself about the technology, I downloaded and have started reading the ebook edition of Charlotte Bronte's 1847 novel Jane Eyre on my iPod touch.

This has been my first experience of reading an ebook on a handheld device. Unless you adjust the font size, the text is tiny and hard on your eyes. On the other hand, I do like the bookmark feature. You touch a ribbon on the top right hand corner of the screen and and a nifty red ribbon scrolls down. This lets you mark the page and come back later if you want to turn off the iPod or use another application.

As I have written on here before, ebook technology has not yet matured.I'm not a Luddite, but I don't see paper books becoming extinct any time soon. I have no plans to stop reading paper books instead of ebooks. Lifelong habits cannot be changed overnight.

Boffin's corner

In my line of work it pays to keep your finger on the pulse of new technologies that will eventually affect both me and my peers. I read with great interest that Borders Australia has just announced that it will be stocking the Kobo eBook reader. It looks like a pretty snazzy piece of kit, and the $199.00 price point makes it an enticing proposition compared to similar products on the market, even if it is somewhat basic by comparison. In addition, their eBook platform will also be compatible with smartphones, PC and Macs, the iPod Touch and the iPad. To sweeten the deal, the unit comes preloaded with one hundred public domain books, and a $50.00 ebook voucher.