Books used to be treasured items, with entire rooms designated only for books and other reading materials. Today, however, books are starting to turn into an endangered species. With the rise of digital literature, and the ease and power of that technology, the book is becoming harder and harder to find.
Fall from Grace of the Library
The library used to be a place where the most intelligent people in the world would gather in their quest for knowledge – either to complete papers and projects for academia or perhaps to discuss issues with other academics. Whatever the reason, today, the digital literature has rendered these buildings as virtually obsolete. There are still operational libraries, but other than offering a pleasant respite from the elements for homeless people, their purpose has largely been replaced by a small digital device with a 6 to 9 inch screen.
The value of books and the knowledge that they contain can’t be debated because they are the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter what your upbringing was; if you can read and have access to books, you can develop your intellect to the equal of anyone else in the world. That hasn’t changed, but now you simply have the books wirelessly delivered to your device, no matter where you are, Kindle USA or Nook UK, all people have quick access to all of the knowledge of history. Digital literature is the cause, and the end of the relevance of the library is the effect.
Digital Books are Much Easier to Store
One of the many bright sides of digital literature is that it is much easier to store. In the past, you had to find a shelf that could hold all of the books that a person could read. When you finished you added the book to your library where it would sit, collecting dust and taking up space until either you moved or died or both.
Now these spaces used for book receptacles can be revamped to provide a more functional use for the room that used to be the library. It can be turned into a family activity area, or perhaps a man cave. Either way, families are going to be searching for new ways to use that space that used to be wasted on holding old books. Now our books are stored on electronic clouds out in the universe, just waiting for us to call them back to relevance through our electronic devices.
There Is Something About a Book
Even though there are many great things about digital literature, there are still certain aspects of a book that can’t be replaced. The smell of a new book as you open it for the first time; the feel of the hard binder in your hands as you leaf through the pages and glean all of the knowledge that you can from the book’s contents. There is a finality in closing the book when you are finally finished with it that provides you with a distinct feeling of accomplishment. This feeling is just not equaled by powering down your reading device.
There will always be a place for books, but that place is getting smaller and smaller by the year. The cost of printing and production of a book can be simply eliminated by electronic versions with identical reading content.