The advent of e−readers — like Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook and Apple's iPad — seems to present academia with a proverbial fork in the road: conform or go extinct.
Reading for pleasure has gradually become more and more of an electronic endeavor; Amazon.com recently reported that sales for its Kindle−compatible e−books have been outpacing those of their hardcover counterparts for months. And the viability of e−books as an academic tool seems clear; the integration of electronic books into the classroom curriculum, whether via Google Books's massive database or photocopied documents posted on websites like Blackboard.com, is hardly novel.
But to what end? Is it that simple — are paper books doomed to utter extinction? How will the emergence of e−readers affect academic life at Tufts? The Daily investigated the impact of e−books by opening the discussion to four different viewpoints: those of the Tufts University Bookstore, the Tisch Library, the student body and an expert on reading processes. We're not quite there yet Carolyn LaQuaglia Tufts University Bookstore
The Tufts University Bookstore, which is owned by Barnes & Noble, has been quick to respond to shifting paradigms, according to Bookstore Manager Carolyn LaQuaglia.
During the period at the beginning of each semester when textbooks are sold, tags are displayed next to the information for each course's texts indicating whether an electronic version of the book is available for purchase. E−books are often as little as half the price of a physical textbook, according to LaQuaglia.
Despite the significant cost differential and the increase in general popularity of e−books and e−readers, sales of e−books in the bookstore haven't risen substantially this year, LaQuaglia said.
"I think that the generation that is currently attending college has learned from childhood to use a book, so, unless they want to save a tree, they're going to buy a book," she said.
The ultimate turning point for e−readers, according to LaQuaglia, may be when software is available that can fully convert the experience of reading a printed textbook into a digital format.
Barnes & Noble released a free downloadable application for PC and Mac in August called NOOKstudy, which attempts to replicate the textbook experience. But NOOKstudy is not yet available for Barnes & Noble's own Nook e−reader, or others for that matter. "Textbooks are complex and usually graphic−intensive; they do not display well on small screens," the company explained in a press statement.
"Textbooks are very different than just a general reading book," LaQuaglia said. "There are charts and graphs, and those are complicated to translate perfectly."
Also preventing full conversion is reticence on the part of publishing companies, LaQuaglia said.
"Publishers are very protective of their materials, so the way they release them electronically depends on each book," she said. "There are sometimes limits with e−books to how long you can look at material and how many pages you can print, which publishers set. So that creates a roadblock."
Even if those barriers are eventually broken, LaQuaglia doesn't see a bookstore without actual books as a realistic possibility, at least in the near future.
"If and when it does happen, it's going to be a very long time," she said. "That's a huge change in the way people learn and the way people teach. There's always going to be a group out there that prefers textbooks, but there are just going to be a lot more options. It's just going to depend on the professor and the class and the school. But a book will never run out of batteries." The future is indeterminable Laura Walters, Tisch Library associate director for teaching and research
Tisch Library would likely be the Tufts institution most affected in the event of paper books going the way of the compact disc. But Tisch's Associate Director for Teaching and Research Laura Walters said that empty stacks are hardly in the cards, at least for the time being.
"We're in a state of flux, no doubt about it," Walters said. "We're living in both the print world and the e−world, which makes it so complex for us. We still have to have the space for the print books but provide access for things in the way in which people want to use them."
More than 30,000 e−books have been added to the Tisch collection in the past year, all of which can be read on most devices with internet access, including iPads.
"Those 30,000 are actual books that students either read for a class or use to do a research paper," Walters said. "Most are in the sciences because, based on our research, people in those fields don't always have to read the entire book. What they're looking for is an essay or a journal article, and they don't mind reading those online or [in] print."
For now, Walters said, any plans for expansion into e−textbooks, as well as a wider range of books used for humanities classes, will depend on focus groups to determine interest.
"We need to get a feel for how the faculty and students feel about the e−books we have now," Walters said. "We need to know how people want to use books. Do people really want to read entire books online, given that you can't print them because of copyright laws? How do people want to read them? On their laptops? On a smartphone?"
Three new scanners have recently been installed in Tisch to facilitate the digitizing of material, Walters said. Selections — though not entire books, due to copyright laws — can be uploaded onto the Tufts shared hard drive and printed or downloaded to individual laptops using USB cables.
"If they want to use our print collection in the digital style, if they prefer that, then they can do that," she said.
As for what the future holds for the role of libraries in the increasingly digital world of books, Walters isn't certain.
"If I knew what would happen 90 years from now, I would be a wealthy woman," she said. "I don't think we can even predict more than five years out, things are changing so quickly. But I don't think [that e−books will entirely replace paper books] in my lifetime. There are fields, disciplines, which are still very book−dependent." Tradition trumps technology Tufts students
Several students voiced three primary concerns regarding the shift in technology: the price of electronic books, the user−friendliness of e−readers and the custom of reading physical textbooks. So does the uniformly lower cost of e−books negate their perceived inefficiency or a lack of desire to change study habits?
For freshman Gabriel Nones−Newman, the price disparity between e−books and their paper alternatives is simply too large to ignore.
"My calculus book can be bought as an e−book for $10, and it costs $180 in the bookstore," Nones−Newman said.
In contrast, junior Stephanie Phoutrides said that the difference in cost isn't enough to convince her to change her routine.
"I can kind of trick myself into justifying spending $80 on a textbook, but I can't justify spending $70 on an e−book. It sounds silly, but you can't cuddle up with an e−book," she said.
Sophomore Emily Friedman agrees that reading a printed book is more pleasurable experience. "It's easier for me to read in an actual book and not on the computer," she said. "I also like being able to highlight in a textbook. It helps me learn the material."
For junior Annie Dreyer, the choice boils down to tradition.
"I'm not technologically advanced enough and way too old−fashioned for [e−readers]," Dreyer said. "But I realize that e−books are probably a lot more environmentally friendly, so if they were easy to use, I'd consider making a switch. I also forget and lose books all the time, but if everything was on a computer, that would be really helpful." Screen reading is different reading Maryanne Wolf, Professor of Child Development
Maryanne Wolf's perspective on e−books is informed by her areas of expertise: Wolf founded the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts and teaches in the Eliot−Pearson Department of Child Development in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Though Wolf stresses that conclusive data about the physiological impact of e−readers isn't yet available, she has concerns about the ability to retain knowledge through what she deems "screen reading" on devices like the Kindle.
"My worry is that there will be an atrophy to the reading process, to what I call ‘deep reading': things like critical analysis, novel thought, all of what happens when you look straight at text and which goes beyond the information," Wolf said.
"My worry is that, because [screen reading] constantly pulls attention forward, it will actually short−circuit the ‘deep reading' process," she continued. "The book itself is a powerful way to contemplate and think about what we're doing, and the e−book might short−circuit that."
Wolf said that the screen itself acts as a conditioning tool for increased expediency and that research must be conducted as to how that impacts brain function and learning processes.
As for the future, Wolf predicts that readers will differentiate between e−books and hard copies based on individual circumstances.
"My opinion is that we will have reading that is specific to purpose and that we will find certain mediums for certain purposes," Wolf said. "For really analytic reading, I don't think anything beats holding a book in your hand and writing all over it. For pleasure, there's the pleasure of curling up with the tactile object that lends itself to quiet and to pause, and the book is far better for that. But for things like reading on a plane or on vacation, there's an e−book advantage."
Much of personal preference, Wolf said, will likely be based on generational differences.
"For me, nothing replaces a book, but I've grown up with the book. … I know what to expect from the book, but without the data, I don't know if there's the same kind of concentrated reading [with the e−book]."
