The future of reading is uncertain. In this century,co reading could soar to new heights or crash and burn.
Clearly something important and fundamental is happening to books and reading.
Because readers are atomized and disorganized as a power bloc, librarians must continue serving as clear, organized, professional advocates for them.
Perhaps that is because we cut our teeth with the act of gazing at any screen by staring at 90-minute movies and 30-minute sitcoms, few of which encourage us to ponder their deeper meanings once they've played out.
Reading always has been multisensory. The look, feel, smell, and heft of a printed book all contribute to the overall experience of reading.
Readers have an opportunity to gain more power and control over their reading experiences, but it will not come to pass without a struggle. Librarians need to help readers and be advocates for them during this messy process.
Reports of the death of reading are premature. Readers are resilient and inventive. What worries me is not so much that reading will become an attenuated, marginalized field of practice but that the developmental paths of librarianship and reading will diverge in the 21st century. We may wander off from our power base, or it will evolve away from us.
I found Peter’s article to be a bit negative. Though it is true that the “future of reading is very much in doubt”, I am not sure that “in this century, reading [can] soar to new heights or crash and burn” (2012). Reading is not something that can ever “crash and burn”. Libraries? Maybe. But reading will continue on, just perhaps in another form.
In the Smithsonian article Reading in a Whole New Way (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/40th-anniversary/Reading-in-a-Whole-New-Way.html), Kevin Kelly discusses how “reading and writing, like all technologies, are dynamic”. When tracing the history of reading and writing, it is clear that it has changed quite a bit over the years. The invention of the pen was once thought to be a unnecessary distraction, and there was a time when writing was reserved for only the most intelligent of scholars. We live in a dynamic world, and it’s always changing.
Though Peters may be right about the role of librarians to guide and help readers through this complex process, it seems that future of reading can still be secure, while the way that people access the things to read may change drastically as we continue into this digital age.
References
Peters, T. (2012). The Future of Reading. Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6703852.html.
Kelly, K. (2010). Reading in a Whole New Way. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/40th-anniversary/Reading-in-a-Whole-New-Way.html
Clearly something important and fundamental is happening to books and reading.
Because readers are atomized and disorganized as a power bloc, librarians must continue serving as clear, organized, professional advocates for them.
Perhaps that is because we cut our teeth with the act of gazing at any screen by staring at 90-minute movies and 30-minute sitcoms, few of which encourage us to ponder their deeper meanings once they've played out.
Reading always has been multisensory. The look, feel, smell, and heft of a printed book all contribute to the overall experience of reading.
Readers have an opportunity to gain more power and control over their reading experiences, but it will not come to pass without a struggle. Librarians need to help readers and be advocates for them during this messy process.
Reports of the death of reading are premature. Readers are resilient and inventive. What worries me is not so much that reading will become an attenuated, marginalized field of practice but that the developmental paths of librarianship and reading will diverge in the 21st century. We may wander off from our power base, or it will evolve away from us.
I found Peter’s article to be a bit negative. Though it is true that the “future of reading is very much in doubt”, I am not sure that “in this century, reading [can] soar to new heights or crash and burn” (2012). Reading is not something that can ever “crash and burn”. Libraries? Maybe. But reading will continue on, just perhaps in another form.
In the Smithsonian article Reading in a Whole New Way (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/40th-anniversary/Reading-in-a-Whole-New-Way.html), Kevin Kelly discusses how “reading and writing, like all technologies, are dynamic”. When tracing the history of reading and writing, it is clear that it has changed quite a bit over the years. The invention of the pen was once thought to be a unnecessary distraction, and there was a time when writing was reserved for only the most intelligent of scholars. We live in a dynamic world, and it’s always changing.
Though Peters may be right about the role of librarians to guide and help readers through this complex process, it seems that future of reading can still be secure, while the way that people access the things to read may change drastically as we continue into this digital age.
References
Peters, T. (2012). The Future of Reading. Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6703852.html.
Kelly, K. (2010). Reading in a Whole New Way. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/40th-anniversary/Reading-in-a-Whole-New-Way.html