Tome vs. Tech by Tommia Wright

I was going to call the photo “Imagine Greater” until I realized it was the tagline/promo of a channel I once thought capable of such. Science fiction shows are hard to find, enjoyable ones even harder, but I digress (and grumble, pardon). On the positive side, one less hour of television to bother with (bringing down the viewing time in half, until the one show I still enjoy viewing suffers the same fate – probable given it’s on the same network, but again, I digress) and more time for books.

An article via NPR caught my eye:A New Chapter? A Launch Of The Bookless Library.

I will admit I am technologically impaired (too simple for a smart phone, for example), and I’m a traditionalist. Still haven’t figured out the Palm Reader on my writing device (bought/use it for writing, how odd) and have only recently made full use of the PC-version of a Kindle reader. Otherwise, give me a book I can take with me, see, not worry about a battery dying mid-chapter.

Does that mean I fear the direction of a possible ‘bookless library?’ Not yet, even as my mind screams, ‘Next up, a cookie-less, cake-less bakery!’ Then again, even in the push towards a ‘paperless society’ (I printed the multi-paged article somewhere, probably in duplicate), how far is too far? Forget the digital divide, a valid concern given the many divisions already in society – must we add another, what about practicality, feasability, etc?

There are pros and cons of such a move and it’s possible that the residents in the community, the board members and staff of the library systems weighed the costs. At least this move isn’t an ‘all or nothing’ approach of ‘Goodbye Flintstone age/Hello Jetson age.’

Does it mean I’ll be first in line to browse a digital collection over the proper brick-and-mortor/shelf-filled books/tray-laden media aisles?

No.