Book 2.0

Books aren't dead, they're just going digital. So says the cover of this weeks (NOV 26th) Newsweek magazine. The article, centered around Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com and creator of the new Amazon Kindle, examines the future of reading and the future of the book. Great article and I would encourage everyone out there to read it asap. The Kindle is the latest technological device for digital reading. It has it all: wireless Wispernet, E ink (breakthrough product that mimics the clarity and print of a printed book), it's the size of a paperback, weights 10.3 ounces, 30 hours of reading on a rechargeable battery, changeable font size, it's hold 200 books in memory with more on a memory card, and of course an unlimited amount in a virtual library maintained by Amazon. OK, I'm not done yet. The reader can search within the book for a phrase or name, you can in fact search for a book on Amazon, use the keyboard to order the book and have it downloaded to your Kindle in less than a minute and cheaper to, new releases starting at 9.99, with some books at only 1.99. In addition, you can subscribe to newspapers and the new publications are sent directly to your Kindle. The Kindle can also look things up on the web, search Google, and link to and from blogs; it even has an electronic highlighter. WOW, sounds amazing. Oh, what does it cost you ask? Well, that is a bit of a downer at $399 big ones. Hey, if you've got the cash and certainly if you travel a lot, it is definitely worth it.
The implications:
Of course no one wants to see an end of the book. But the question remains, aren't digital books still books? Could it possibly lead to a greater number of readers? In the article Bezos asks himself, "why do I love these physical objects.....the smell of glue and ink"? He says it's because the smell is associated with all the places a book takes him to, all the emotions, all the words and ideas. Critics have until recently believed electronic devices could not accomplish this for a reader, but it is now being disproved; the electronic reader has the same effect as the print version.
Further implications are:
Changes in the publishing industry and they are already resisting the model put forth by Amazon of charging less for books.
Corrections or updates could be made instantly without reprints.
There could be continuous books; books that are purchased knowing an author will add to it in the future or on a regular basis.
Cutting book prices in half could double book sales; who doesn't want to sell more books?
Book 2.0 could have implications like web 2.0; interaction of books and authorship and continuous books, wiki style books (just like Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything).
Reading becomes a community activity.
Could cause a decline or not in printed books.
Well, one last point-Libraries. Libraries were not mentioned in the article and as a librarian and friend of many librarians and one who loves books deeply, I must ask what does this mean for the library? For starters, we still have books in print, so yeah and on we go. For seconds, this technology is very cool, very interactive, transportable, flexible, and so on. Lets embrace it, lets offer these type of services at the library (how about a free downloadable book for your Kindle)and lets move into the future with Amazon and technology instead of lagging behind and trying to resist an inevitable change.