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Apr. 25th, 2020 06:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spectrier1. Are books losing importance as a source of information and entertainment?
I don't really think so. More avenues for information/entertainment don't mean older ones stop being valuable. Video games haven't made board games go away and a tv show or movie don't fill the same niche for me as books do as far as entertainment goes, which I imagine is true for a lot of people.
The information question is an interesting one to consider just because of how quickly printed works can be outdated. I'd argue that print textbooks in rapidly changing fields could be less valuable than a digital source that can be rapidly updated in terms of making sure people have the correct information because I know I've read print non-fiction that had information in that was correct at time of printing but less so in recent years.
2. Are e-books the death of paper books? Will paper books disappear?
Another I don't think so. I've wondered if paper becoming phased out would be beneficial from the perspective of environmental impact, but from what I'm aware of paper production can be reasonably sustainable. I'd need to read into balancing the lifetime costs of digital technology vs the lifetime costs of printing books to make my mind up properly on this.
I don't think they'll go anywhere though. Some people like books for how they feel and you can't forget to charge a print copy of something, so they'll likely always have a place unless there's a massive generational shift.
3. Should libraries focus on improving their technological resources rather than building a larger collection of paper books?
I do think that improving tech availability is really important considering the world we live in. Access to computers is important generally (most jobs want an email attached, a lot of applications are online etc) and having opportunities for the public to develop computer/device literacy should be as important as encouraging traditional literacy.
I would like both things to exist in harmony though. Libraries also help people interact with culture and media, which includes books/the internet/films/music.
4. How important are early reading skills in a child’s academic performance?
Well, you need to read to do school work so...very, as far as developing reading skills go in general! I don't necessarily think "poor reader = poor academic performance" though, reading just doesn't click for some people and not be one of their strengths, but I do think it's important for kids to be reading early for other benefits (imagination, concentration, vocabulary, stuff like that) which are positive things by themselves and could help their school performance.
Anecdotally my parents had me read A LOT as a bairn, not forced but encouraged greatly, but I was horrible at math (and still am) so it's not a cure all for every part of academic performance!
5. Are people who spend a lot of time reading fiction wasting their time which could be better spent doing more useful activities?
I don't read much currently but I do a lot of other "time wasting" (mostly writing that doesn't go anywhere), but I think time enjoyed isn't time wasted and not every moment in human life has to have a 'productive' output.
I don't really think so. More avenues for information/entertainment don't mean older ones stop being valuable. Video games haven't made board games go away and a tv show or movie don't fill the same niche for me as books do as far as entertainment goes, which I imagine is true for a lot of people.
The information question is an interesting one to consider just because of how quickly printed works can be outdated. I'd argue that print textbooks in rapidly changing fields could be less valuable than a digital source that can be rapidly updated in terms of making sure people have the correct information because I know I've read print non-fiction that had information in that was correct at time of printing but less so in recent years.
2. Are e-books the death of paper books? Will paper books disappear?
Another I don't think so. I've wondered if paper becoming phased out would be beneficial from the perspective of environmental impact, but from what I'm aware of paper production can be reasonably sustainable. I'd need to read into balancing the lifetime costs of digital technology vs the lifetime costs of printing books to make my mind up properly on this.
I don't think they'll go anywhere though. Some people like books for how they feel and you can't forget to charge a print copy of something, so they'll likely always have a place unless there's a massive generational shift.
3. Should libraries focus on improving their technological resources rather than building a larger collection of paper books?
I do think that improving tech availability is really important considering the world we live in. Access to computers is important generally (most jobs want an email attached, a lot of applications are online etc) and having opportunities for the public to develop computer/device literacy should be as important as encouraging traditional literacy.
I would like both things to exist in harmony though. Libraries also help people interact with culture and media, which includes books/the internet/films/music.
4. How important are early reading skills in a child’s academic performance?
Well, you need to read to do school work so...very, as far as developing reading skills go in general! I don't necessarily think "poor reader = poor academic performance" though, reading just doesn't click for some people and not be one of their strengths, but I do think it's important for kids to be reading early for other benefits (imagination, concentration, vocabulary, stuff like that) which are positive things by themselves and could help their school performance.
Anecdotally my parents had me read A LOT as a bairn, not forced but encouraged greatly, but I was horrible at math (and still am) so it's not a cure all for every part of academic performance!
5. Are people who spend a lot of time reading fiction wasting their time which could be better spent doing more useful activities?
I don't read much currently but I do a lot of other "time wasting" (mostly writing that doesn't go anywhere), but I think time enjoyed isn't time wasted and not every moment in human life has to have a 'productive' output.
no subject
Date: 2020-04-27 02:49 am (UTC)Thank you for this point! It was one I hadn't even thought of when I was doing the Friday Five. Following that point though, I am very happy to throw a broken down book into my compost because it is paper and worms will eventually eat it, but eReaders need complex recycling. I don't think there are any 100% recyclable eReaders so there would be waste involved. So there are production and end of life concerns for eReaders but books only have production concerns.
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Date: 2020-04-29 09:59 am (UTC)I definitely agree with your points about recycling though, a print book is much easier to not waste at the end of its life. Recycling, composting, donating, using damaged books for various crafts or fix up projects... you definitely can't do those sort of things with an eReader and I imagine a lot of those just get trashed in places where electronics recycling is difficult to access. Although speaking of recycling devices, there's a quite recent device that's come out that uses recycled Kindle screens which can function as an eReader (among other things) and I think it'd definitely be happy to see more cases of newer devices making use of more outdated devices like this!
no subject
Date: 2020-04-30 03:20 am (UTC)I walk the same middle ground you do! well I try...
I read digital on my phone or computer and mostly buy used books, but I do like supporting my favourite bookstores so new paper books slip in now and then.