Wednesday, March 27, 2013
One of the biggest concerns facing lovers of the printed word has been the sharp increase of digital entertainment. People can now read books on electronic readers, watch DVDs, stream shows and movies through the computer, play video games, and much more. Many of these things can be accomplished without leaving the house - digital downloads have become the hot item of the moment. Just the other day I purchased a digital copy of a video game that was released in 1998. I do not even have the gaming system that it was originally created for, but I went to the online shop for the Nintendo and found out that the game I was interested in had been converted into a format that was playable on the Wii. With that much easy entertainment at our fingertips, what will become of good old-fashioned books?
It would be naïve to say that all of these new technologies have had no impact on books. At my library, we keep a list of bookstores in the area to hand out to patrons who ask. We frequently have to update the list to remove bookshops that have gone out of business. I have days where more people ask about eBooks, DVDs, and using our computers than questions about books. It happens, but I still refuse to believe that this is the beginning of the ends of books.
A recent article on the UK's Huffington Post website discusses the current trends in the digital world. Author Charlie Higson noted that while popular video game Call of Duty – Black Ops sold more copies than popular DVDs and CDs, but it was still bested by print copies of Fifty Shades of Grey. He goes on further to say that even though Fifty Shades was known as being an internet sensation, it has still made the vast majority of sales in print copies.
This is a fear that is constantly being brought up. Oh no! Books are disappearing and they will never return! I have seen multiple reports saying that new technology and eReaders will be the death of the printed book. My mother’s parents were convinced that buying her a record player would lead her to stop reading books. My parents were convinced that getting me any sort of gaming system would lead me to stop reading books. Amazingly enough it both cases, we continued to be voracious readers. In my own fairly short life I have seen all sorts of technology come and go (I only recently got rid of my VHS player!), and the one thing that has remained constant is my overflowing bookcase.
I understand that there is a seeming threat to physical books with the influx of eReaders, but I see the two as a bit of a partnership. My patrons have embraced eBooks, but they also hold on to the idea of actually paging through a book. It is nice if we have a patron request a book that is currently checked out but available as an eBook – it gives options that did not exist before and it is certainly better than having to wait for the book to be returned. I asked a few friends of mine to think of the last six books they have read. How many were physical copies of books and how many were eBooks? I had a varied response, but quite a few people were pretty well split down the middle. Personally, mine was half books and half eBooks. I am still not concerned about the future of books. All I have to do is see the look of joy on a patron’s face when he or she comes in to pick up the book they’ve been on hold for since November to rest assured that books are still alive and kicking.
Newman, M. (2013, 03 21). Downloads, e-books and computer games still seen as second best to old world retail . Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/martin-newman/downloads-ebooks-computer-games_b_2925345.html?utm_hp_ref=uk
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