New LCDs Expected to Be as Easy to Read as Paper

Sharp, shatter-proof Liquid Crystal Displays are expected to emerge from a lab at Kent State University. The word is that they'll be low on battery consumption. Meaning? TeleRead-style displays just may be much closer than the skeptics think. If the Kent State researchers can't live up to their hopes, you can bet that others will; the new technology is inevitable. Already, Roger Fidler, a pioneer in electronic newspapers, has designed software to work with the new LCDs in tablet-style "information appliances." They wouldn't be as convenient or powerful as TeleReaders, but would be a good start. While electronic books are not about to replace paper books overnight--we're talking evolution, not revolution--the long-term trends are clear. It's urgent that librarians and public interest groups work hard to bring the Carnegie model to the Net. Pay-per-read "libraries" online mustn't replace the genuine article, free public libraries that include copyrighted books for rich and poor alike. Alas, many fine people in the public library world are in a state of denial and keep hoping that the new gadgetry will go the way of the Hula-Hoop.