BFTP: A history of books

I asked this five years ago about the chart below:

So here's my question: Has anyone over the past couple hundred years missed the scroll, the clay tablet; the papyrus or the sheepskin? I am guite sure my great-grandchildren will laugh when they read how people were once reluctant to give up paper books for electronic ones. And yes, my great-grandchildren WILL be reading.

Among the comments to my original post was this one from Michael Doyle:

Gutenberg and Munuzio's contributions allowed folks other than the privileged class to get their hands on books. Very few Western people saw any of the book history before the 15th century (too elite, too scarce, or Chinese). Papyrus and clay tablets were replaced, true, but since so few folks used them, no big deal.

Since books are accessible to just about everyone now, the changeover to electronic books is not truly revolutionary (though our ability to manipulate words is--that's where the revolution has already happened). The Kindles are remarkable for their "typeface", and I suspect as the typeface of other e-books get better (and the battery life longer), more most folks will prefer them to books, because they're like books! Portable and snuggly.

My car has seat belts, radial tires, anti-lock brakes, struts, air bags, and is very different from the car my grandfather drove. But it's still a car.

Many of us reluctant to give up paper books are not reluctant out of Luddite stubbornness--we're reluctant because of cost and readability. When Kindle is safe in the bathtub, I'll consider buying one.

A thoughtful comment, I thought, - as were several others to the original post.

The move from print to e-books seems to be taking on a new urgency as we adopt tools and strategies to increase differentiation by providing reading materials at a range of reading levels in our libraries and classrooms.

Does a print library of a few dozen titles make sense when a classroom equipped with devices capable of connecting to a few thousand digital titles is possible?

Factor in the advantages of adaptive quizzes which may help students find books at their reading levels and about their personal interests, eliminating the stigma of reading books viewed by classmates as "baby books," and the ability to have texts read aloud or words pronounced in situ, we really need to be having these discussions - now!

Comments

[Len]

Agreed. How do we get the players to the same table, when publishers and distributors still argue like 7 year olds over the last slice of pi? (Get it, happy Pi Day!). Libraries are still hoping to make ebooks more available, but I just met with a local academic library dean who has NINE EBOOK PLATFORMS. When we have a sustainable model that works as a content carrier (the way first-sale protected cardboard and paper do now), we might have a shot at universal access that does not require a law degree and dedicated staff to sort through. For the average consumer, ebooks are relatively easy. For libraries and schools, they are really hard, unless we settle for one provider's limited catalog. DRM and the relentless drive for profit are going to keep ebooks only in wealthy hands until we get all of the interested parties to play nicely.

[Gary Myers]

I understand how strongly some people feel about paper books. Mostly I think this is nostalgia, which is logical. Then there is some research that suggests the paper books may lend themselves better to comprehension, due to the tactile interaction and its effect on the brain. For me the jury is still out on THAT particular issue, especially in the context of the powerful interactive tools that are possible with digital books (by this I mean readers interacting with each other).

To me the core problem, which has yest to be resolved, is the basic cost and ability to share. Because of the industry that developed to suit the previous technology, we are used to paying for "the book," which we then own and can generally do with as we like. This model suits an expensive process. Now, I'm not arguing that writing and marketing digital books is without cost...it's just that the cost is different. I've you to see anyone address this in a way that I think will endure.

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Len and Gary,

I certainly agree that e-book management and selection has been and continues to be a challenge for libraries. (See http://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/the-e-book-non-plan.html)​.

We have been focusing on two things:

Looking at collections of ebooks such as MyOn Reader, Tumblebooks, etc at the elementary level, plus selected titles in Mackin Via that allow multiple use and one time purchase.

Not trying to replace fiction (at any level) but substituting digital e-books and databases for nonfiction collections at the secondary level.

It's a mess, been a mess and will continue to be a mess, but I think we have to grapple with the issue as we can.

Doug