When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books ...says Cushing Academy headmaster James Tracy. The administration of the 144 year old school, west of Boston, has decided to go entirely bookless, believing that the future of reading is digital.
LibraryThing's Tim Spalding said a few hours ago on Twitter :
I'm a tech entrepreneur. I'm more pro-tech than anyone I know. But I see ebooks as a disaster for everything I care about. Crazy?Nope, I don't think so. And a library without physical books really scares me, to be honest.
6 comments:
So you'll need a power supply to read anything? Daft.
reading e-book is like having sex by jerking off to porn on the internet . i'm from old school. i like the real thing.
Scary that this coming from a school head. What next? No bags, hell how about no need for the school, just stay at home and do it all online. Think the human scene from Wall-E...
A bit scary, a library without books. Not a library at all, I guess.
I like the concept of e-books and e-readers, especially when commuting or traveling, but I don't think they'll ever completely replace real books.
Now that would be a sad day. Not being able to flip through dusty pages? Hmm.
comments from my Facebook page (posting' 'em here because they are part of the debate)
Agnes Tan
Very sad :( the joy of looking at old books read/scribble by seniors are no longer romantic - eye specialists will see more patients in up coming months :( I wonder what happened to the books, many ppl still cannot afford the luxury of owning book(s). Digital library will widen the gap of people who cannot afford access to digital libraries.
Ethan Zen Cheng
Very disturbing, without physical interaction it will lost its appeal and the joy of reading. Buying a book is like having a wife, we need to touch,smell and it will stay with you forever through thick and thin, an exaggerated metaphor I know but in my opinion I will recycle anything but not my books
Terri Plez
Ethan, I love that metaphor because its so true. I can't believe the headmaster convinced everyone to come along with him on that trip.
Nur Sherryn Edin Abdullah
We should hi-jack that bus!!!!
Thurs at 10:55
Tutu Dutta Yean
I'm never giving up my books! It's not just about the content of the book; there is something about the book itself, the feel and texture of the paper which is engaging. I idea of reading an e-book is rather disconcerting and unappealing!
Manjula Aryaduray
I love the smell and feel of books. I like admiring other people's bookshelves. It is wonderful seeing a book age ... I love the discolouration, the stains and the dog ears that tell you how many times you've reread a favourite book. It would be a sad world without books : (
Thurs at 21:04
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