But I like books!!!

I have an open mind. I even like technology and computers. However, more than that, I like books. I like the way they look, the way they feel, even the way they smell when they’re new. I also like stuff: there’s nothing better (in my book..no pun intended) than seeing an old letter or diary right there in front of you, even if it is behind glass. It sends shivers up my spine. I don’t think I’d get the same reaction seeing it load on a computer screen, but that’s just me. However, I do understand the ease and accessibility of digitized books/archives. For research it’s a needed and necessary tool. And a huge time saver. And you can find things you’d otherwise never come across, making research more thorough and concise. Kelly (in Scan This Book! NYT) mentions the linking of books, footnotes and other useful tools to further research and writing, and there, I agree with him. But like everything else, this ‘universal library’ is just another business, making people (and not always the right ones) wealthy while others (namely authors and publishers) continue to go unnoticed (I may be off the mark here, but it always seems that big business eats up the arts and humanities). Regardless, what I like about Kelly most is when he says that so far, the universal library lacks books. Yeah!