As technology continues to develop, the need for traditional paper books is diminishing. With devices such as the Nook, Kindle and e-books becoming more prevalent, will print copies of books become obsolete?
In 2011, Amazon customers defected from printed copies of books and flocked to the digital copies as Kindle downloads outsold hard copies for the first time. People began raving over the small size of their e-books, making them easy to carry around and the convenience of having any book imaginable at their fingertips, available for them with just one download.
“I don’t have a strong preference either way when it comes to paper books or e-books,” Adreana DeJohn, a junior biology major, said. “I do enjoy my Kindle if I’m trying to read before bed and it’s dark or if I don’t feel like constantly flipping the pages, but paper books are great too. I don’t ever have to worry about the battery dying or paying more for a new book.”
The Nook, Kindle and other e-books are very convenient to transport and use, but are useless when the battery dies. There is always the possibility that the screen could crack, the books will not load or the sun will glare down on the screen and make visibility nearly impossible.
Another drawback to e-books to be considered is the price. Often times, e-books are more expensive than physical copies of books. This can be confusing, as many would think it would cost much less to download an e-book than it does to print a physical edition.
“Physical manufacturing and distribution expenses cost less than you think,” Stacey Johnson, founder and editor-in-chief of Money Talks News, explained the price increase in a recent interview. “There are other costs associated exclusively with e-books, like formatting them to fit e-readers.”
In a recent survey taken of 46 students, 85 percent of the students prefer a printed copy of a book over an e-book.
“Millennials— in particularly college students— definitely have a preference for print, especially for textbooks,” Ellie Knickman, a reference and instruction librarian at Cabrini, said. “People like to have their hands on something that they can also work on when they go home. E-books are still great for a lot of things. Collections of essays and reference e-books are very useful because you have search capabilities of both the internet and electronic databases.”
People believe there is something special about holding a book, sitting down to read it and flipping the page. Also, for some, there is an experience in going to a bookstore and really reading the back of each book in order to find the correct one.
Some people may prefer to read a paperback book on the beach than perhaps a Kindle. Buying print books also gives a person the chance to lend it to someone else to read.
Although the current students prefer print books, it is unclear what will happen with future generations. Libraries and bookstores will have to combat the decrease of interest in print books.
“When people ask ‘what are libraries planning to do about the rise of technology?’ I answer, we’ve probably already done it if you look! The library is filled with electronic databases and provides students with modern ways to search for information,” Knickman said.
Although technology is beginning to overrule the everyday lives of individuals, there will forever be those who refuse to let go of the paperback book in their hands.
“I don’t have time to read very often, unless it’s for class, so I didn’t see the purpose of buying a tablet or any sort of electronic reading device,” Danielle Jackson, a junior information systems and technology major at Cabrini, said. “If I’m going to read a book, I would rather get the hard copy from the library so I don’t have to pay for it.”
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