Questions & Responses on Chapter 5: The Electronic Book
The fifth chapter of the book, "The Electronic Book" deals a lot with electronically organizing data and information that might otherwise be contained in physical texts. Naturally, the idea of the electronic encyclopedia comes into the discussion as to whether an accumulation of information is necessary in the electronic form that is exposed and malleable to and for anyone who has access to said encyclopedia. Personally, I'm not a very big fan of online encyclopedias. It isn't so much that I am against the idea of collecting valuable information at one reliable source, as I am skeptical of how such a source will be maintained over the years as something structured, accurate and proofed. I do like the idea of having multiple people available to check the validity of information, but I don't favor the idea of multiple, unregulated contributors. I guess it simply worries me to think that so many millions of people are given the same level of perceived authority on so many millions of issues that may in truth have only few knowledgeable authors. Aaron
I like reading about how the book has changed and evolved over the centuries. I think it is interesting how the importance of documentation, books, and writing in general is taken for granted. The histories we read can only go so far back to when people could read and write, but also, what text survived through the ages. Books on papyrus to modern day paper to the Rocket eBook. I had never heard of the eBook before. I think it is interesting how it can take any text and change it to hypertext immediately and how it can put any book at the palm of your hands. However, it seems to cheapen the text. Anything can be put there and books seem to have a special and unique feel to them. The way the pages feel, the way the book is printed, the quality of the illustrations (if there are any) looks completely different than on a computer screen. I find it interesting how encyclopedias had to switch to digital since news is always changing, and the moment one set would be printed it would be immediately outdated and no one would want it, when they could go to a computer and find a more up-to-date version. Besides that, the cost of printing a set of encyclopedia, the weight of a set of encyclopedias would be heavy, and they would take up a lot more space since each year more information is added to them. However, I do not think this will happen to books since books are not needed to be printed in a set that is always up-to-date. Books can be novels, stories, new medical information that will become dated, but for the time being can sell, unlike an encyclopedia set. I also found it interesting about the comparison of the loss of the Dewey Decimal System and libraries now primarily using the computer to locate a book. Again, it is easier, cheaper, and faster. Which in today’s society, easy, cheap, and fast must be the best solution. In my own observing, I think it is interesting how many cyber cafes there are today. It is true people still do read printed books, but I think I see more digital means of reading out in public than I do books. People read off of their cell phones, laptops, and now eBooks. Do you think that people have become too dependent on these other means and their values of changed to quantity of information) rather than quality? —Carrie
I agree that electronic information systems can be very useful and for some things, such as the encyclopedia, invaluable for keeping information as up to date as possible. However, it's always nice to hold a book in ones hands. —Diana
This chapter was all about the electronic "book". They discussed heavily on how encyclopedia's and books in general are set up. The interesting thing I liked about this chapter was the idea of being able to access a content of a book from the internet. I like the idea but personally for me I like the idea of having a book physically in my hands to read, when it come to non fiction. I dont see myself anytime soon reading a book from a computer screen or PDA. The chapter also discussed online encylopedias . For refrence books I find this type of information extremely useful when on the internet. I like how one can access the main information but then thanks to the links discover new or more interesting facts. Plus the great thing of having it all online is that it requires none of that tedious flipping of pages. Hannah
For the 1st time since I've been reading the chapters in Bolter's book I would say that I have no argument against any of Bolter's discussions. In fact I agree whole heartedly to quote one of the more memorable passages in my recollection (page 79 second paragraph down) "As we refashion the book through digital technology, we are diminishing the sense of closure that belonged to codex and print" This is true. In the future text in the traditional sense (library's, books in general) may hold only nostalgic value. I don't feel that they weil disappear but certainly their in jeopardy of being replaced by the web if they've not been already. As discussed in class, books as soon as they run off the press are obsolete and no one purchases the same book multiple times to catch up on new material. That's why the web is a wonderful faucet of information that can be turned on and off at the user's will. And as technology allows us to access the web in more ways (PDA's, cellphones, pocket PC's) We may become more reliant on the web as our primary source for infomation if not in my lifetime most definately in that of my offspring. Jay
It seems that the advantages of digital libraries outweigh the advantages of print libraries. It also seems that the organizational versatility that digital libraries offer may be closer to the original intent of libraries and encyclopedias. I can think of these advantages for print libraries: People's comfortableness with the physical books, access to those without computers/Internet, reliability of integrity (no virus attacks), and control of the quantity of print items circulating. Are there more advantages to print libraries that would make them irreplaceable by digital libraries? Also, off subject slightly--are there any ethical issues surrounding the conversion of a print library to an electronic library? For example, an electronic library would require little to no paper, and would this put less of a toll on the environment? —Jim
This chapter is one that I agree with. Bolter makes the point that the World Wide Web is becoming an extension of the library. Although technology is advancing for electronic books I don’t really think there will be a time where everything is digital. This process is slowly evolving to make books more digital, but it is a long process. I think an advantage to becoming more web based books are encyclopedias. These encyclopedias allow information to be added instantly. Information is always evolving and with the flexibility of an encyclopedia on the web it allows the information to be updated. —Megan
Should the electronic encyclopedia be available to everyone and is it a good source for information?
I know I don’t want to pay $70 a year for information I can get in my library. I think that electronic encyclopedias, like any library should be made available to everyone. Even though information in these do not go into great detail, I think they are helpful for people, whether writing a research paper, or are just interested in knowledge and broadening their mind. A few weeks ago I was asking my mother where "rule of thumb" had come from. Because one of my favorite movies, the Boondock Saints had mentioned this saying in their movie, and I was wondering if the information they gave was true. So my mom and I hoped on the internet and looked it up in good old Wikipedia. Sure enough, the information on the movie was there. Along with many other descriptions behind the phrase. It is nice that information like this is available at our fingertips. Yes I could have gone to a library and researched the topic, but its much easier to jump on your computer and type in a little phrase. Lets face it, we are all a little lazy sometimes. And unlike a libraries latest copy of encyclopedia Britannica, web page encyclopedias are often updated on a much more regular basis. —Meri
At first, my impression on reading digital screen rather than an actual book didn't suite my interest. However, I think it is very beneficial for the eBook to turn any text into a hypertext, where the reader can search for words or phrases--this is something that surpasses the book. —Stacey |