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Impact of internet on reading habits essay
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As long as people have been keeping records, recording stories and facts, they have been compiling collections. Libraries are the repositories of culture and knowledge. Ancient libraries contained clay tablets, which gave way to scrolls, then papyrus, then parchment, which led to books. Since books were invented, other forms to arise include microforms, audio forms of various types, CD ROMs, and finally the Internet. The Roman historian, Ammianus Marcellinus, complained in 378, when the Roman Empire was waning, that “…libraries are closing forever, like tombs (Batley).” Does this sound familiar?
In his book, Fool’s Gold: Why the Internet is No Substitute for a Library, Mark Herring paints a fairly grim picture of the future of libraries. Basically, he posits that a confluence of events and attitudes have come together to bring about the demise (unless something is done, and soon) of the library as we know it. First, people mistakenly believe that they can find anything on the Internet. Second, people don’t read or enjoy reading, or read well any more. This point is also made by Doug Johnson in a blog post entitled, “Libraries for a Post Literate Society I.” However, what Herring greets with great trepidation, Johnson treats as the next step in cultural evolution. After all, he points out, we were drawing pictures to get meaning across long before words came along, now we are just getting back to our roots. Johnson freely admits that for many people print reading is limited to short personal or functional pieces such as signage or blog entries. In other words, people do not need to read words anymore, or at least not much. Herring is more than a little alarmed by this turn of events. He mourns the decrease of readi...
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Batley, Sue, Michael E. D. Koenig, and Toni Carbo. "Library." World Book Advanced. 2009. Wakeland High School Library, Frisco, Texas. 6 Feb. 2009. .
Herring, Mark Y. Fool’s Gold: Why the Internet is no Substitute for a Library. Jefferson, N. C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2007.
Johnson, Doug. “Libraries for a post-literate society I.” The Blue Skunk Blog. 13 August 2008. Doug Johnson. 5 February 2009. .
Price, Gary. “What Google Teaches Us That Has Nothing to do With Searching.” Webmastery. November/December 2003. Gary Price Research and Internet Consulting. 15 October 2008. .
The book contains some of what you would expect in a book by revolting librarians. There are the requisite essays on the suppression of civil liberties through the Patriot Act along with essays detailing the problem of cultural representation in the Library of Congress Subject Headings. And of course, there's something both by and about Sandy Berman, a living legend among progressive librarians. But there are also quite a few surprises. Ever curious about the astrological breakdown of librarians? You'll find an extensive article complete with enough statistics to make you break out your notes from IRLS 506. [Leos dominate the field, with Aquarians an astrological minority.] Another notable essay concerns what services librarians can offer to day laborers.
Rainie, Lee, Kathryn Zickuhr, Kristen Purcell, and Mary Madden. "The Rise of E-reading." Pew Internet Libraries RSS. Pew Research Center, 5 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 May 2014.
This library system is utilizing all the technologies and materials available to them to serve the community in the best way. Despite certain social indicators and demographic statistics indicating that the library should not be overly utilized, it is thriving and is heavily in use. There are areas that the library can look to improve based on statistical evidence, such as reaching out to the low income population and the over 55 years age group. This library seems to be meeting numerous needs for a wide range of patrons, and doing it well.
Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid." July/August 2008. The Alantic Magazine. 20 February 2012 .
The article “The North West London Blues” argues that public libraries still remain an important part of the society and should be preserved. There is no doubt that she is, in fact, a part of the minority who has the same opinion due to the reason that most people tend to prefer electronics over physical copy of books, especially the younger ones. Therefore, it is important for the author to use persuasive methods to gain more support. The author, Zadie Smith, uses evidence, reasonings, and stylistic elements in order to gain support.
Bradbury attacks loss of literature in the society of Fahrenheit 451 to warn our current society about how literature is disappearing and the effects on the people are negative. While Montag is at Faber’s house, Faber explains why books are so important by saying, “Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores” (79). Faber is trying to display the importance of books and how without them people lack quality information. In Electronics and the Decline of Books by Eli Noam it is predicted that “books will become secondary tools in academia, usurped by electronic media” and the only reason books will be purchased will be for leisure, but even that will diminish due to electronic readers. Books are significant because they are able to be passed down through generation. While online things are not concrete, you can not physically hold the words. Reading boost creativity and imagination and that could be lost by shifting to qui...
Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid." TheAtlantic.com. The Atlantic Magazine, July/August 2008. Web. 18 February 2012.
...of Library and Information Sciences, Third Edition (pp. 1507–1517). Taylor & Francis. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1081/E-ELIS3-120043240
James Ford Bell Library. University of Minnesota Driven to Disover. 5 january 2010. web page. 30 April 2014.
Through the years works of literature have been distributed through many different means. These means usually reflect and take advantage of the latest technologies. Dominant sources of literature have changed over time. Today, instead of scouring though the local library’s card catalog, prospective readers will likely log onto Amazon to find the latest book in their favorite genre. Media technology has made communicating increasingly easier as time has passed throughout history. Everyone is now encouraged to use media tools and is expected to have a general understanding of the various technologies available. Only time will tell what the future will hold for electronic media. The present avenues may one day be looked back upon as today’s Library of Alexandria and be just another ruin in the history of literature.
The Center for the Digital Future’s 2005 report found that 'among users 17 and older, 56.3 percent consider the Internet to be a very important or extremely important source of information for them' (p. 4). Online resource capabilities save an individual time as well as provide ease of access and availability to a broad scope of materials. Print books and journals, though they provide in–depth information on a particular subject, are not easily accessible and available at any particular moment. In order to access many books, an individual must either visit the local library or contain the book in his or her own private collection, which could be costly. Online resources can be accessed anytime at anyplace. “Overall, there is expanded access to information in a variety of formats from worldwide institutions, businesses, and universities" (Darrow & MacDonald, 2004, p. 22). Access to “worldwide” information puts a broad range of information in the h...
...wan believes, one of the best things about our digital lives is the ease with which we can share ideas with others. It is now possible for readers to connect with each other worldwide, as well as recommend and share their opinions about a particular piece of literature. Our need to engage in “deep reading” will not go away, as Rosen believes. The act of how we read may evolve as it has been evolving since beginning of mankind. How we read and write has evolved from cave walls to stone tablets to paper to keyboards. The digital world will not change what we read, but how we read. Because the experience of reading, the love of narrative, and cravings for story-telling is instilled into our DNA. Reading is a basic human need, it is evolutionary. Even though our means of attaining information or story telling may change, the act of reading is literally forever-lasting.
...igitization.” This does not necessarily imply that printed books will altogether disappear, but that their appearance, usage and milieu will be repurposed. Therefore, it is only rational for stakeholders such as academicians, authors and publishers to envision the future of printed books in the digital age, so as to better anticipate the changes that are, without a doubt, destined to occur.
Rainie, L., Zickuhr, K., Purcell, K., Madden, M., Brenner, J. (2012). The rise of e-reading. Pew Internet & American Life Project, 3-11. Retrieved from Education Resources Information Center
Books are the oldest medium of communication. Book has been the largest surviving source of print media. Although modern technology and electronic media have greatly influenced the mindset of people, books are still referred as the most essential tool to gain knowledge and information. History recalls that education and learning reached towards every person after print media; especially after printing of books. Preservation of information, education and past events of history have been stored and known to us only because of the influencing and effective books.