The book is not dead, says Harvard library director

September 16th, 2009

This is a quote from Quill & Quire and is from Robert Darnton, as part of the promotion of his new book The Case for Books:

… the general lack of concern for history among Americans has made us vulnerable to exaggerated notions of historic change–and so has our fascination with technology. The current obsession with cellular devices, electronic readers and digitization has produced a colossal case of false consciousness.

As new electronic devices arrive on the market, we think we have been precipitated into a new era. We tout “the Information Age” as if information did not exist in the past. Meanwhile, e-books and devices like the Kindle represent less than 1% of the expenditure on books in the United States.

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One Response to “The book is not dead, says Harvard library director”

Garson O'Toole Says:
September 17th, 2009 at 1:23 am

The quote above suggests that Robert Darnton minimizes the importance of ebooks. However, the following quote suggests the opposite (bold added) :

In many societies, despite enormous inequalities, ordinary people not only read but have access to a huge quantity of reading matter through the Internet. I would not minimize the digital divide, which separates the computerized world from the rest, nor would I underestimate the importance of traditional books. But the future is digital. And I believe that if we can resolve the current challenges facing books in ways that favor ordinary citizens, we can create a digital republic of letters. Much of my book is devoted to this premise and can be summarized in two words: digitize and democratize.

It may be time to update Simon and Garfunkel:

Yes, we speak of things that matter,
With words that must be said,
Can analysis be worthwhile?
Is the book really dead?

The last line above actually asks “Is the theater really dead?” in the original lyrics to “The Dangling Conversation” written by Paul Simon.

Garson O'Toole Says:
September 17th, 2009 at 1:23 am

The quote above suggests that Robert Darnton minimizes the importance of ebooks. However, the following quote suggests the opposite (bold added) :

In many societies, despite enormous inequalities, ordinary people not only read but have access to a huge quantity of reading matter through the Internet. I would not minimize the digital divide, which separates the computerized world from the rest, nor would I underestimate the importance of traditional books. But the future is digital. And I believe that if we can resolve the current challenges facing books in ways that favor ordinary citizens, we can create a digital republic of letters. Much of my book is devoted to this premise and can be summarized in two words: digitize and democratize.

It may be time to update Simon and Garfunkel:

Yes, we speak of things that matter,
With words that must be said,
Can analysis be worthwhile?
Is the book really dead?

The last line above actually asks “Is the theater really dead?” in the original lyrics to “The Dangling Conversation” written by Paul Simon.

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