I wrote this to couple of my friends some time time back talking about how kindles are improving the carbon footprint:
Random thoughts. I am now using calibre which is an e-book library management system. The number of books, papers and articles in an electronic format became unmanageable few months back. And after pairing it with iPhone, stanza book reader system which I also further linked to various booksellers and has the ability to hook into Gutenberg as well as websites and email, it's getting pretty close to 'good' status. Most weekdays, I don't even pick up a paper copy of a book but my Reading frequency and book completion rates have actually shot up. Would say 16-20%.
But this is another rather regrettable but understandable step. I quote:
Instead of the 20,000 books the school currently has, the students of Cushing Academy will have 18 e-readers at their disposal. The learning centre – the replacement for what was once the school’s library – will also have three large TVs, a coffee shop, and laptop-friendly booths.
The cost of this makeover will be nearly $500,000, but the folks at Cushing think it’ll be worth it. “Instead of a traditional library with 20,000 books, we’re building a virtual library where students will have access to millions of books,’’ says James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing.
He also has an interesting view on books in general. “When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books (…) This isn’t ‘Fahrenheit 451’. We’re not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and optimize technology.’’
Sad that the world of libraries are now slowly vanishing away. I further posted this link yesterday on FB. Will we lose pictures like this?
Sad, sad sad….
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