If you’re a bibliophile, you’ve probably heard the news that Borders declared bankruptcy. While the story may appear to be just another sign of an ailing economy, it’s also an indicator that we stand on the edge of a new era.
In a time when people are just getting used to the idea of e-readers but are still familiar with the feeling of turning pages, there’s an obvious leap waiting to be made, but we find ourselves reluctant.
Call us romantics or environment haters, but we like physical books. They look, feel and smell a certain way that satisfies us more than a sleek device with an anti-glare screen. The digital book heralds the changing attitude toward reading, with people seeing the action as a necessity to glean information rather than a way to entertain oneself.
As a society, it seems we have neither the attention span nor the time to read solely for pleasure anymore, much less to hole up in a library or hunt through a store for the perfect novel. For those of us who still devour books, we tend to use them as time-fillers: We read them on the bus, on breaks at work or between classes, without specifically setting aside time to immerse ourselves.
Who knows what the future will bring? Maybe some company will cater to our demographic by finding a way to simulate the sensations of a paper book in digital format. Until then, we’ll be the ones spending our spare time scanning the shelves at Library West, looking for a good read.
