Thursday, August 9, 2012

Legal Skills Prof Blog: Print's not dead! Long live print!

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August 8, 2012

Print's not dead! Long live print!

Below are four reasons why print is not dead from the self-proclaimed web design and typography junkies at DesignrFix.com. While you're at it, you also might want to check out a book by Professor Robert Darnton, the director of Harvard's library system, called The Case for Books: Past, Present, and Future who argues that scholars and others who read for a living will never give up print because it is a superior format for deep, engaged reading.

Four Reasons Why Print Is Not Dead

The tangible factor

There?s something very pleasant about reading a good old-fashioned paper book. If you?re stuck into Anna Karenina it feels good to actually ?feel? how far through it you?ve managed to get, rather than gauge your progress via a percentage bar. Plus, since all books are laid out differently and have different dimensions, they offer real variety between reads, unlike your thoroughly consistent Kindle. Then there are magazines, especially rich, glossy fashion ones; it?s hard to imagine them retaining their sleek finish in digital form.

Batteries not included

The battery life of your average tablet or eBook is being enhanced all the time. But there?s always the risk with them that readers will get stranded without any juice. The thought of having to locate a power supply to find out what happens when Gandalf meets the Balrog in Lord of the Rings is enough to put some avid readers off entirely. Similarly, you?ve got to hope that your electronic reading device doesn?t succumb to any accidents. While a paperback may survive a run-in with a cup of tea, an eBook probably won?t.

Vive la Resistance

As with all new developments, there will always be those who staunchly oppose these new-fangled reading gadgets. The printed word will doubtless survive as long as these stubborn non-adopters will. The acclaimed author Jonathan Franzen is one member of the resistance. He recently spoke out against eBooks at a literary festival, suggesting that they open the door to Orwellian-style censorship. Unlike printed books ? he argued ? a centrally-housed online text can be edited or deleted by authorities, allowing them to re-write history and culture on a whim.

Judging a book by its cover

Let?s face it, when it comes to reading classic literature or intelligent journals, half of the lure are the kudos you gain by association. With an eBook or tablet you?re reading anonymously, and your fellow commuters haven?t a hope of discovering how deeply intelligent you are. Bookshelves work in the same way. Walking into a room that?s presided over by a heaving bookshelf full of beautiful and varied literary tomes is always impressive. A little gadget measuring a few inches by a few inches doesn?t carry nearly the same amount of cultural clout.

(jbl).

August 8, 2012 | Permalink

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