Will e-Readers make the home library obsolete?

For people who appreciate books, a home library would feature as a talking point in much the same way I would imagine a centrepiece grand piano would for lovers of classical music.

But are we danger of losing the home library forever?

As we cultivate a generation brought up in the digital era - I can’t help but feel saddened that as they become ‘desensitised’ to the joys of a physical book, that they also lose out on the experiences of reading a real book too.

Bloomberg columnist David Pauly shares his concerns on the potential impact of the e-Readers on the future of the home library.

When my wife and I made our house bigger several years ago, I pampered myself and reserved one of the new rooms for books. The library cost about as much as our new kitchen, so it was an indulgence.

With the advent of digital books, I’m afraid people will start asking me why I don’t just download everything we have on our shelves onto the Kindle — Amazon has 230,000 digital titles available — and convert the library into another bedroom for the grandkids?

Feeling almost denied of a personal pleasure, David touches on the emotion which is shared by all book-lovers:

…I won’t give up the serenity I find when surrounded by real books.

I probably would even miss getting newsprint on my fingers.

Imagine. One day there may well be a tipping point where we deny personal indulgences like the Jay Walker’s personal library in replacement for a spare room for the grandchildren… or, dare I say it, the in-laws?

About Chung: Chung Nguyen-Le is a resident blogger at icrylab writing posts which help advise and inspire writers. More information on Chung is available on his personal website, http://www.cnlifeasitis.com

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