These days, technology seems to have an obsession with making things smaller and smarter. Apple recently introduced the iPod Nano, an MP3 player that holds more songs than a jukebox and weighs less then the change necessary for the laundry. Also, Samsung is working on a flash drive that, at 12 gigs, makes it almost unnecessary to store data on a hard drive.
And now, this obsession with shrinking things has targeted one of the oldest institutions in the world-books. Over the summer, a string of developments has pushed books further into a digital format, possibly leading to a new trend of putting books in headphones and computer screens as opposed to printed pages.
I first noticed this trend during an online search for the latest book releases, when I noticed that libraries in Ohio, Arizona and New York have begun adding audio books to their catalogue. The files can be checked out by multiple patrons and rendered inactive after the due date, already taking into account the forgetfulness of most readers.
No fewer than three days after this announcement, online bookstore Amazon announced they'll be offering downloads of short stories and sample chapters for only 49 cents.
As no movement can be successful without a celebrity endorsement, this one comes in the form of J.K. Rowling. She simultaneously scaled up her pile of money while whittling down her books to audio form when she announced the entire Harry Potter series will be released via iTunes. She claims her decision was made to combat the piracy of her books, but I predict the ability to sell each volume for another $32 might have cast a spell on her.
In all honesty, I'm not sure how to regard this movement toward the digital. Of course, reading a book on-screen makes it easier to pretend to work at the office, and an MP3 player is easier to carry around than four paperbacks in my pockets (the trick is to invest in cargo pants), but I'm a little reluctant to depart from my classic format.
I like being able to pull out a dog-eared paperback or a thick hardcover, flick the pages between my fingers and go over the same spot ten or twenty times over the course of one reading-it is as much a part of reading as the plot. If I turn my traditional reading focus to a computer screen or headphones, I'll be blind and deaf within five years.
And if the upgrade to digital book becomes more prevalent, it will phase out all the old tricks I learned over the years. It takes years of practice to balance a sci-fi novel inside a textbook or notebook and keep it hidden from the prying eyes of teachers, and the muscle strength of carrying a loaded backpack from the library does not develop overnight.
Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I'm personally happier keeping my library on a shelf than on three CDs. If that's the way of the times, though, maybe it's finally time for me to invest in that iPod.
If you would like to bring Les into the 21st century by hooking him up with an iPod, he can be reached at lmchappell@wisc.edu.
