Just trying to catch up and I’m so glad I’ve made it this far...
I feel really deprived because I don’t own an iPhone, iPod, iPad, Smart phone, Kindle, Nook or any kind of “cool device” where I can read a book on a screen. If I won an iPad, I would be in heaven! But since I never win anything, the eReader that I would like to get if I ever decided to get one would be a Nook. I don’t know why I would go for that instead of a Kindle because I haven’t even held a Nook in my hands. My brother-in-law and his wife recently came to visit and he was showing off his Kindle. He let me press the button to turn the page, showed me how to download a book, put a book in archive (basically putting a book on the shelf for later reading), and read the bestseller reviews. I can’t say I was terribly impressed. Sure, when you’re going on vacation, it’s much more convenient to pack a Kindle than packing a suitcase full of books. My husband likes to read a lot and he has his own room in the house that he calls the library. We have had many discussions on the subject and I don’t think he will ever switch to e-books. I also don’t think he will be heartbroken if he doesn’t get a Kindle for Father’s Day, haha. Personally, I like the feel of books in my hand; I like flipping through the pages; I like looking at the photographs in art books; I even like the smell of books (weird, I know!). Having said that, I do feel like I need to try to adapt to the changing technology, both personally and professionally.
I have a special fondness for books because I get to catalog them and I’m paid to do something that is fun. We recently purchased 10,000 NetLibrary e-books, and cataloging them wasn’t at all fun. There was something wrong with the first batch that we received. First I had to move the old records to discard, then remove them from the catalog before I could load the new set of MARC records. These e-books are different from the kind that you purchase from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Apparently there are many different formats of e-books. I recently found out through research on my own that these can only be downloaded onto specific devices, and Kindle is not one of them. Our library has purchased 2 Sony Readers and we’re still in the testing phase. I am really looking forward to the June 9th workshop on e-books sponsored by CDLC because I hope to gain a better understanding on how e-books will change what we deliver to our students.
Posts
Hi Rose,
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. I also don't have any kind of technology beyond my pre-paid cell phone (without camera). Not that I wouldn't like it, but it's hard to justify $100+ a month fees for something that I would basically be using just for fun.
The Nook has definitely been getting the best reviews in terms of versatility. I would like it for traveling, but I would be nervous about breaking, losing or spilling on an expensive device.
And I don't think you are weird for liking the smell of books. When you read people's memoirs about the library, many of them mention the smell of books, especially new ones.