This is not the first time the demise of a sacred institution such as the book as been anticipated. Similar apocalyptic predictions in history have been made when a new technology or trend seems poised to replace an old one. In “Reading in a Digital Age” the phrase from The Hunchback of Notre Dame is given:
“Ceci tuera cela”
This simply means “This will kill that” where a scholar, holding up a book in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral, was stating that the book will cause the demise of the institution of the church.
Other paranoid reactions to inventions and other cultural progressions have abounded throughout history. Catherine Sheldrick Ross in “Reading in a Digital Age” states other “gloomy predictions” such as
“the alphabet will kill human memory…the photograph will kill painting, the telephone will kill the art of letter writing [do we not hear that about email?], film will kill live theatre..." the list goes on from there.
Think back to when you have heard dire predictions about new technologies that have emerged - particularly warnings about the death of libraries and books in the age of the Internet. These are broad, rash statements that usually have little basis in fact or reality.
Will the digital age really mean the death of books, libraries, and perhaps even reading itself? The tempered reply is: No, it will not cause the immediate demise of anything. However, it may be poised to redefine the role of the library, the configuration of the publishing industry, and may impact people’s reading habits. This is not necessarily bad news, but it would be foolish to dismiss the e-book and the digital age and say that there will be no effect whatsoever in society.
6 Comments:
Hi Noreen: I agree with Karen that our librairies have changed immensely over the last decade even. We now must teach information technology and help students differentiate good from questionable websites - who would have predicted that would be a part of our research skills work? Change is always difficult to adapt to, but as Karen says, it is inevitable and probably no worse than any other historical development.
Liz and Karen,
I started working in a library as a clerk over 20 years ago now (could I be that old??) while going to university in Calgary, and experienced the old card catalog system and conversion to an online system. Back then, online searching brought back results on a dot matrix printer like a Telex machine. We thought it was so high tech!
Anyway, my point is the same as yours - change is inevitable and libraries need to always be on the forefront of technology. Our focus right now should be on preparing their patrons on how to properly use online sources. Our role as information literacy experts is a new one, and will redefine our role as INFORMATION experts in the next century.
Digitization had had an effect on books and libraries. I do think that we will see more e-books being read once the technology has caught up with the need. It is much more convenient to stay in one place than to actually walk to find something to read. I see this everyday when students are conducting research - they would rather sit in front of their computer than walk around the library to find a book. I also think that it would be a good thing to have textbooks on-line. I could see the learning being more exciting, with links and visuals. It would be easier for students rather than carrying heavy tomes and we wouldn't have to worry about the huge cost when students forget to return the books.
Rhonda
Regarding one of the comments in your blog - I think email may well cause the death of letter writing. I haven't written a letter in a very long time. Technology revolutionized libraries when the printing press was invented; I'm sure technology will continue to change libraries and the way information is accessed. But change generally doesn't occur without society participating - we adapt.
Oops - the previous comment was from Shannon. Sorry.
For me the central challenge for each new technology is: How do we take advantage of the benefits while recognizing and minimizing the drawbacks? Like digital music, e-books present some wonderful advantages for widespread access and for a wider range of artists to be 'heard', but issues of who pays, how much is fair and protection of copyright are significant.
Marilyn
Post a Comment
<< Home