e-books, i-pads, q-books......

......what will we be reading in the future?

This question was posed at the last session of the AWRF that I attended. Called Read any good bytes lately?, it was a panel discussion about electronic reading and the new toys for reading. In fact the plan had been to have a room of devices for reading for festival goers to explore and test but unfortunately that was not possible. I was really looking forward to that as I want to know how different an experience it will be reading from a machine instead of from a printed book. After all the story, the words, the meaning will be the same won't they?

Paul Reynolds, internet guru, Web 2.0 enthusiast and Library advocate, lead a discussion about how we are moving away from the traditional model of the book towards digital interactive material. Rhonda Kite demonstrated on an i-pad two children's books that were designed to aid reading development and comprehension. The discussion was wide ranging but inconclusive. I felt concerned that in this runaway digital environment we might lose some quality. Our book industry, developed over time, has created various means of quality control; for example we have well-read book reviewers, literary criticism and international awards. We will need digital equivalents of these that offer more than star ratings!

Paul maintained that the functions of libraries and librarians will be increasingly important  - that is why everyone was so sad this week to hear of his sudden death. His funeral was held today and tributes from all around the country have appeared on blogs and websites:
http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz/2010/05/on-the-death-of-dr-paul-reynolds/
http://beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/paul-reynolds-r.html
http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/blog/scooperonlibraries.aspx
http://publicaddress.net/6638#post6638