Are Books Becoming Obsolete?

Let's get a discussion going here. How do you feel about the future of printed books? Chances are your children and perhaps your grandchildren read from both electronic and printed books. What about your great-grandchildren? Will they know the thrill of being read to from an illustrated book? The smell and feel of it as well as the bright, colorful pictures are all part of the experience. Reading with Grandma at bedtime is a childhood rite of passage. Will it soon be obsolete?

Kindles and Nooks, iPads, iPhones, etc. are bringing us into the next phase of our lives. In a lot of ways, it's good. Ecologically, the printed book uses many world resources. Our environment will be better off when books are completely electronic. Economically, e-books are less expensive. Currently, the cost of college textbooks can run into the thousands per semester. Perhaps when they are all online, that expense will be minimized for parents. (A girl can dream, can't she?) But on the flipside of that issue, we will lose the jobs of millions of Americans who work in paper mills. With no book to hold, will it be harder for authors to sell their work? Years back, the book mega-chain stores stomped all over the charming mom and pop bookstores. Will these same behemoths be able to keep their doors open? They have already begun to sell their devices. Perhaps in the future, the books will be gone.

What will happen to libraries when books are no longer used? What will become of story time? How will the job of the librarian evolve?

So many questions to be discussed and debated but one thing is for sure. The sweet sight of a toddler sleeping with a book under his pillow should never be allowed to become obsolete.