As we look 5-10 years down the road, what do you think will change in the world that will impact libraries, especially SPL?
One thing that's right on verge of "prime time" is electronic paper. Sounds like books made of dead trees may soon be a thing of the past. What if we could buy an author's entire set of work on a sheet of e-paper? Or, will patrons bring in their own e-paper books for us to fill with content? And how long until those same devices can hold movies & music?
How do we stay relevant to our community? Will we only be used by the "have-nots"?
Maybe this is where meeting rooms, programs, and other value added services come into play...
Give me your thoughts - Dave
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I think we will be straddling the great divide between paper and electronic books for a while yet.
It seems to me like there is a distinct generational difference in who is using what.
Well aware I am making a broad generalization, I think the younger generations have grown up with computer screens and are more comfortable with that delivery.
Folks like, hmmmm, ME, who are part of the boomer set, want the feel of the book in our hands. That is what reading is to that generation.
So, I think we will be serving two masters as long as the the buying power of the older generation stays strong.
Hi! I think the experience of using the Sony E-Book reader suggests that this technology is evolving in a positive way. We experimented with readers a few years ago and they weren't nearly as easy to deal with -- so these are becoming more viable.
I spoke this morning with a student from the Specs-Howard school who is working on a piece about illiteracy. As we talked, I realized that I've worked with several patrons lately who are here to brush up their reading skills---they've been told in an invterview or test that they need to do better.
Are materials relevant for this group going to be available that way? Is this a community need? Does Southfield want to address it?
Content is important. Sometimes, though, the medium of delivery overshadows what gets included.
This is something that just happened to come up at the desk today.
I agree with both Anne & Robin on the idea of E-books. While I don't think the Sony Reader is "sexier than a librarian", it is several steps forward from the old Rocket E-Book I'd seen before.
Once e-paper adds color, and as downloading gets simpler, paper may start to fade. Cost, of course, is a major factor.
I, too, like the feel of a paper book, but have ecological yearnings to not destroy trees & forests for my own pleasure. Plus, being able to carry my whole library around in my pocket sounds awesome.
That's what MP3 has allowed me to do with my music, and look how well that has been adopted! Books have more cache, but their time may come sooner than many wish.
Post a Comment