Troglodytes like myself have been slow to pick up on technology. You’ve heard of “early adopters” and “digital natives.” I proudly consider myself to be a digital dinosaur. Years after the Kindle arrived, I got one. And just recently I went over to the dark side of a smart phone.
I do find my Kindle handy for carrying around a raft of proposed manuscripts IVP is considering for publication–as well as books we’ve already published. I generally am happier reading my Kindle when it is light reading. If the book is something I want to slowly study and digest, it’s print for me.
I think my experience reading digitally is similar to that of many others. That’s what a recent piece in the Huffington Post suggests. Even younger readers often prefer print for study. And their experience is often more satisfactory in print even when reading novels.
Those of us who appreciated The Shallows for its even-handed analysis with some cautionary tales about the digital world, can take heart.
I purchase more than three-quarters of my new books in kindle format. I only use my kindle reader when I travel or am away from my desk. Most I read or reference on my large computer monitor.
I find the ready access to each text (and the invaluable search function) priceless. Plus, there just isn’t much room left on the ten full sized bookshelves that line my office.
As for being proud to be considered a digital dinosaur… that reminds me of early in my Air Force chaplaincy career when I encountered some troglodyte clergy who vowed never to use email. They were proud of their commitment to not replacing tactile, face-to-face interactions.
There is, of course, a proper place for each.
I love paper books. If I had them, I’d love parchment and vellum volumes as well. Likewise, digital versions have their own welcome place in my personal library.