Let's Talk Technology

Have you seen the commercial for the child's e-reader which says, "Once upon a time, there were books."

Once upon a time? Books have become the thing of fairy tales?

I know. Books aren't cool. They aren't interactive. They require more than an 8 minute attention span. But come on!

Now, I like e-readers. My library just got to Sony Readers which will be available for patrons to check-out. I think it's pretty cool. It's great for traveling so you don't have to carry tons of paperbacks with you. (Did you know the most common item left behind in hotels are books?) The Sony Readers are great because you don't have to exclusively purchase books, you can check out ebooks from the library, which is convenient if you are house-bound or you just can't get down to the library all that often.

But if we're trying to encourage our future generations to read, why market books as old, out-of-fashion things? Maybe the day is coming soon when schools issue e-readers instead of text books or printed novels, but that day hasn't arrived (yet) (thank God). Personally, I think that will be a sad day. I like the feel of a real, tangible book in my hand. I like underlining passages and making notes and feeling like I form a relationship with what I'm reading.

Maybe I am one of a dying breed, but I like my books. I like the idea of an e-reader for travel, especially if you live in a city and are taking the bus,or the metro, or the T, or the tube to commute. But I still think there is great value in paper books. They may have gone out of style, but there's something to be said for being vintage.