Around my campus, there has been a huge topic of conversation concerning books and whether or not we actually use and need physical copies. There is a strong sense that the technological advances have evolved the reading experience. eBooks are the newest sensation and paper bound pages are a thing of the past. Yes, paper books are old, but that is why they are so valuable. Here are my reasons why paper books should not be replaced by digital books.
You can call me old-timey all you would like, but I love to have an actual book in my hands. Flipping through pages is so much more valuable than scrolling on a screen. I spend a lot of time on electronic devices, scrolling up and down, clicking around on different apps, but nothing beats having a page in my hands. Plus, I do not have to have a charging cord with me all of the time when I have a paper copy of the book.
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(DRM: Digital Rights Management)
Pages show actual progress too. I love being so involved with a book that, when I finally take a break, I can look at where I started and how far I have gotten. That may just be me being a weird English major, but it is like an adventure to me. There is just some sense of accomplishment when you have a real book.
Personally, I love having stacks upon stacks of books. I can enter into the realms of Middle Earth, visit the Wizarding World of "Harry Potter," fly to Neverland, or fall into Wonderland. When I see the books, I create an adventure based on what the author has given me. However, if I am on a tablet, I can easily become distracted because someone sent me a funny video of a puppy or liked my post on Instagram. There are just so many distractions on electronics that I honestly do not know how people read on them.
Also, once you have purchased a paper book, no one can take it back from you. One of my professors has talked about this serious issue with digital copies of books. The library will purchase a digital copy of a book, but after some time has elapsed, the editors or publishers decide to reclaim the book. That leaves the library having paid for a book without having the actual material. Is that not sad? However, if the library purchases a paper book, the publishers cannot come and take that away as easily.
I know that I am a person who looks up a lot of things electronically, but when I actually need to sit down and read, I prefer the feel of paper over a glass screen any day. Books are timeless and I feel that if books become more electronic, we will lose a very important tool. Pages are much more personal. They give a sense of realism to any story. Pages are where I can escape into another world and if all of that is put onto a website or an app, I think that it takes away the magic. Books are precious to me, so that is why I believe that books should remain in paper form, instead of becoming an electronic element.
