Blog #3
Electronic Books (eBooks) have
become the up and coming thing in the world of literacy and reading. I will
admit to used eBooks, but this does not hinder the fact that my love runs deep
for bound books. The idea of eBooks has taken off since the invention of the
Kindle and now numerous companies have released devices to read books
electronically.
Though I prefer "old
fashioned" paper books, I understand the appeal of eBooks. They can be
read on multiple types of devices, and these devices are easy to carry around.
Whether it is an iPad, Kindle, Nook, or other sort of tablet, they are more
light weight that a typical hardback book. Convenient access is also a large
factor in the move towards utilizing eBooks. With a tablet, it is possible to
story hundreds of books in one lightweight place. If a reader completes a book
or tires of it, a new book altogether can be accessed with just a couple swipes
and taps upon the screen. There is no need to log on the internet to check the
catalog of your local library to see if the book you want is available. There
is no need to get in the car and pick up said book or return it on time to
avoid a late fee. This convenience is worth the expense to many people to buy
books compatible with eBook readers.
Unfortunately, eBooks come at a
cost. Consumers need to buy the rights to read the books, but fortunately for
the organizations, they are willing to do so. However, this does not fare well
for book stores. We have already seen certain Barnes and Noble Bookstores go
out of business due to the popularity of eBooks. In cases of textbooks, the
electronic version is often less expensive than the hard copy version, which
draws many college students towards the transition away from tangible books. I
am interested to see if and how long it will take for public libraries and bookstores to lose their
relevance.
As someone who doesn't own an eBook or has even read on an eBook, I don't really understand the hype in them. To me, the screen exhausts the reader more than a regular book would. I would rather have a hard copy of something for the enjoyment of owning the whole book. We have so many electronic devices, and the simplicity of a hard cover book is something that I don't think a lot of us are ready to give up. I also think when you have an eBook, you take away the sharing aspect of reading. People can easily download something for themselves, but the experience of looking at books in a bookstore and passing hard copies along is taken away. I know eBooks are here to stay, but I think it blocks a path of face-to-face communication.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who doesn't own an eBook or has even read on an eBook, I don't really understand the hype in them. To me, the screen exhausts the reader more than a regular book would. I would rather have a hard copy of something for the enjoyment of owning the whole book. We have so many electronic devices, and the simplicity of a hard cover book is something that I don't think a lot of us are ready to give up. I also think when you have an eBook, you take away the sharing aspect of reading. People can easily download something for themselves, but the experience of looking at books in a bookstore and passing hard copies along is taken away. I know eBooks are here to stay, but I think it blocks a path of face-to-face communication.
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