Found on Pub-Lib, an inquiry from a CT librarian:
“What has been worrying me lately with the possible replacement of the ebook over the print is, what happens when they go ‘out of print?’ Are they lost forever?
Being a very modest book collector, what, exactly will there be for me to collect?”
What do you think/imagine/suspect? Please comment below.
How I feel about books…physical and “e”
I always wanted to have my own personal library. I now have one. There was a period of exuberant collecting but that is now past. In reality, I purchase very few books and only after a serious questioning of my motives for doing so. Is this a book that I must own? Will I want to keep it, mark it, love it? If that is the case, what will I give up to support its ownership (I’m on a one-in/one-out basis with pretty much all my posessions). What kind of reading experience does it require? Physical presence of book is desired but does not preclude it being borrowed. Or tablet presence is acceptable. I will not feel I have just thrown money away on something I don’t really own. I don’t need to page back and forth through it. I’m ok with something I can’t see or touch that could disappear from my device forever. My work with E stuff has taught me that detachment is a required mindset in order to avoid certain emotional trauma.
Thoughts on eBooks and Permanence
The eBooks that I buy are mine. At least those that allow me to. For the eBooks that I own I can store them on my computer, on a eReader, on a USB drive, on almost any storable device I own for as long as electricty works.
They will not fade, they will not become brittle, they do not live in fear of acidic paper, and their spines cannot break. If my eReader breaks, I can load up my eBook on my phone or laptop. When I travel, I don’t have to pick the number of books that will fit my suitcase and fret about them getting damaged or lost. Instead, I can bring my entire library with me and not even have the worry that my books with perish.
eBooks are making it possible to truly own your books, unlike physical books that you rent for a time before they become damaged/lost and you have to buy them again.
^
And THAT is why the book publishers are reacting so fearfully to this new medium. They are scared out of their minds.