We've had a lot of explaining to do at the library in the two
weeks since Christmas. I mean explaining how the library’s access to ebooks works.
It seems that one of the hottest gifts really was the Kindle and its ilk.
Indeed, Tom got a Kindle Fire when they came out (prior to Christmas).
And he also got some other nifty off-brand eReader iPad-ish thing that was a
Groupon deal. My NookColor will be one year old about the time my new
granddaughter arrives this spring. So, our home is eReader rich.
It's kind of funny. There are some library patrons who used
to read a lot but got tired of paying overdue fines on their library books.
So, they stopped using their library cards. Maybe they stopped reading or
maybe they just decided they'd buy the books they wanted. These are the people
who eventually got an eReader and now find that the cost of the best books is
becoming prohibitive. They're easy to get, easy to store, and maybe easy
to pay for. But they can bankrupt you if you're a heavy reader and simply
must have the latest titles on the
Bestseller lists.
Now, about those library copies of eBooks... for our library, you
must visit your library at least once. Get your library card in good
working order. Be able to access your library card online with your username
and password. And get some brief instruction from the friendly librarian
on how to access the downloadable books from home. And then, if it’s the
latest and greatest on the Bestseller lists that you’re after, queue up. Here’s the other thing I tell people who are
learning about library copies of eBooks:
“Shakespeare gotta get paid.”*
Let me tell you, Folks, it's the Wild West out there as far as how
these library eBook programs are going to be run in the future. Yes, I
believe library copies are essential for the good of the publishing industry
and the health of readers everywhere. Publishers tend to think they're
missing out on revenue for every time a library copy is circulated rather than
a copy of the same book purchased. Yes and no. If publishers are short-sighted enough to
think that every library checkout really
would equate with a purchase of that book, they are really dumb and they need
to spend a few years working in a library.
For readers, a book worth purchasing is sometimes a book they’ve already
read. Or an author they’ve already
read. What’s the best value for your
reading dollar? It may be a contribution
to your local library -- so they can
take the risks on the new authors and the older authors who’ve lost their edge. But let me tell you, as a responsible
librarian, I don’t want to devote too much
of the taxpayers’ money or the library’s shelving “real estate” on books
that aren’t worthy, either.
Will I make predictions about the fate of libraries and bookstores
and reading in general? Nah, I'm not that kind of prognosticator. I can
only tell you my experience so far. You can make your own predictions.
Yes, it's anecdotal for the most part. Though, we are trying to gather
some statistics for our library's experience in the latest digital-age
flood. We’re introducing old patrons,
who used to have a library card, to the
wonderful world of the new library. And
our even older patrons to their new eReaders. And believe it or not, some
patrons – those who’ve always had good library and reading habits -- are quite
comfortable with both methods of reading: the old tangible book book and the
new eReader “book”.
Here's what I have to tell you after thirty years of hanging
around the book industry: lots of books aren't worth the paper they are printed
on. And lots of books that are wonderful never leave the shelf. Am I just
being an elitist? Am I just talking about the books I like to read and
damn everybody else's interests? No, I'm talking about poorly written,
poorly edited "stories" that have been committed to print.
Travesties, some of them. And I'm in no way an elitist. I can
enjoy a well-written trashy or silly book as well as the next guy.
But I'm not here today to lambaste the publishing industry’s sins
of the past or present. I'm here to talk about my experience in the
"liquor store". And riff on reading habits.
I have three problems with my personal reading habits: 1.
I'm a slow reader. 2. I'm a writer/editor. 3. I have many,
many interests.
Problem 1 -- Some might say I should take a speed reading class.
Bull. I don't want to
read fast. I only want to have clones who can read everything I want to read
and integrate it into the collective of Me. I like words. All
words. I like to savor the sentences. I like to read them as they
were written: one word at a time.
Problem 2 -- I'm a writer/editor. If something was written
well, I want to understand how it was done. If something was written
poorly, I want to analyze how it could have been made better if only they'd
come to me before committing it to print.
Problem 3 -- This one perhaps I could do something about.
I've gathered books because they looked interesting at the time I was
gathering. But some of the books I've gathered, I've had for a decade or
two and still have not found the time
to read them. I'm willing to at least try
to reevaluate my interests based on the Me of the Now.
A month or so ago, I decided to go through my shelves and get rid
of some of my books that I knew we had at the public library. Before I
totally ditched them, I put them on my library account's virtual list of things
I might like to read some day. This way, I can keep them in my peripheral
vision – remembering that the books are accessible – even if they are not on my
shelves.
In the chair where I sit composing this, I am facing the wall unit
in the living room. I've just counted 91 books. If I look behind me,
there are another nineteen books on the tables, couches and chairs.
That's just one room of my house. And it's not even the room with the
books in it. The dining room has 148 books and journals. I just
counted. And it's not the room with the books in it, either.
They're upstairs. Actually, in three different rooms upstairs.
I'm a bit ADDish so getting real about my interests is not the
problem. I'll always have a wide array of interests. That's okay.
But getting real about the available time I have to read is a problem. One I'll always be
battling. And that, my friends, is why I’m just like an alcoholic.
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