Monday, June 1, 2009

next gen e-readers

Wow, I want me one of those new-fangled "plastic logic e-readers" that was featured in one of the linked articles for Week 5!!  That is really cool!  In fact, all of them seem neat.  The super tiny readius (folds up like a wallet) seems almost too good to be true.  For my bad eyes, though, I am more interested in the larger format offered by that plastic logic company.  It is due to come out in 2010 and would be great for reading magazines, newspapers, as well as books.  There is a niggling worry in the back of my mind, though, about the impending irrelevance of libraries as physical depositories of literature.....as the e-readers become more adept as duplicating the tactile experience of "curling up with a good book" or "stretching out on the couch with the newspaper" how will this affect the libraries of the future?  I find I have lots of thoughts drifting out there, not necessarily thoughts of doom or anything, just ponderings and reflections upon this tidal wave of change that seems to be facing us.  But anything that encourages reading and the promotion of literature has to be a good thing.

Now it is on to the assignment for the week....downloading an audio or video from our library website.  Never done that, and I am totally a book reader (not listener) so audiobooks have never been my thing.  Perhaps I will look into the video options?

2 comments:

  1. I'm a book reader-not-listener too! It's sometimes hard to find people who understand. I just have so much trouble listening to a book being read to me unless it's live. If I pop an audiobook in, I'm almost guaranteed to be asleep in 15 minutes. (This is particularly bad when I'm trying to drive or do chores.)

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  2. I've had commuters tell me they LOVE audiobooks because it's something to listen to when stuck in traffic...not sure if the downloadables serve the same function. I have some guided imagery mp3s on my computer at home that I like, so maybe I will look for non-fic like that in our catalog...hmmm...

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