Food for Thought

by Adam Huddleston

This week, I wanted to pose to you a simple question: What are the benefits (if any) of traditional paper-based literature over electronic?

You thought I was gonna blog about food, didn’t you?

Now, coming from a life-long lover of books, I can tell you what I prefer. To me, there is just something warm and inviting about actual paper. Paper books (both new and used) have their own scent. I would venture to guess that most book-a-holics can recall cuddling up in a comfortable chair and opening the pages of their newly found treasure. The smooth texture of the paper and its sound as the pages turn brings back memories. Also, you never have to worry about the battery dying on your traditionally formatted tomes.

I will admit though that electronic books (or e-books) do have some benefits. The most obvious is the amount of data that can be stored in a very limited space. A library that once used to fill an entire room can now be downloaded onto a device the size of a postcard (which is another antiquity the young folk may not be familiar with).   E-books also allow access to your library quicker. A few finger-swipes and you can purchase literature that you used to have to travel to a store to buy.

What do you think? Paper vs. Virtual? The debate will rage on…for a while at least.