2021-07-19 [DMFA #2048] - Libraries... for or against?

[Tapewolf]

While Jyrras has a point that infotech makes things significantly more convenient, there's a lot to be said for libraries in terms of preserving things.  Especially if they have ways of magically copying books which we might not.

I recently saw someone describe the internet as "a constantly burning Library of Alexandria" and there is some truth to that.  For many years Studer had technical documents and service manuals for products going back to the 70s available for free on their ftp site.  Now that's all gone, the documents are scattered and hard to find, and FTP itself is being stripped out of the web browsers one by one.

So yeah, I think there's room for both worlds and I'm not sure I can fault Creatures for being a little behind the curve when technology itself can be a blink-and-you'll-miss-it affair.

[Wanderer]

On one hand, I love books. I love to read books, I love to feel the book in my hand, I love to turn pages, I enjoy the entire process of book reading.

On the other hand, having a single device that I already carry with me anywhere, and that I can just pick up and use to read any of my bajillions of books without having to go hunting for where the physical version was last put down... The value of that cannot be overstated.

[entropicage]

Didn't Jyrras already give Abel an e-reader device, which is able to store many books inside of it? For his birthday?

[Amber Williams]

It'll get more cleared up in next strip, but yah.  In the conversation I had meant for it to come as Jyrras response to liking libraries with "I can make you something BETTER than a library." and Abel's reaction was more to the idea that Jyrras wanted to make him something that could replace an entire building. 

THAT WAS MAH BAD IN THE WRITING.

[Nightmask]

On one hand, I love books. I love to read books, I love to feel the book in my hand, I love to turn pages, I enjoy the entire process of book reading.

On the other hand, having a single device that I already carry with me anywhere, and that I can just pick up and use to read any of my bajillions of books without having to go hunting for where the physical version was last put down... The value of that cannot be overstated.

The value is diminished though when one little failure and ALL those books are gone, wiped out in an instant.  Especially when with things like Kindle it's quite clear that you DON'T own the books and they can take them from you at any time and not even have to explain why or justify it in any fashion.  Something they can't do when you buy a physical copy of a book.

[Torano]

The value is diminished though when one little failure and ALL those books are gone, wiped out in an instant. Especially when with things like Kindle it's quite clear that you DON'T own the books[...]

While certainly true, the same could be said for a house fire. While a book is certainly more durable when it comes to being dropped, it's not impervious to damage.

And I can certainly agree with never trusting Kindle. It's admittedly a convenient service, but always have a backup of the ones that are worth it. Like a physical book.

Point being both approaches have pros and cons, and people will approach them differently. Some prefer electronic, some prefer physical books. Myself, I have a digital library with a surprising number of titles. But I also have physical books for some of my favorites. In the end, there's nothing quite like a well worn and beloved cookbook stained with the oils and scuffs and slightly burnt edges of good cooking.

[GammaEradon]

As someone with a Master's degree in Library Science, I can only sit back and laugh ... or weep as I have PTSD flashbacks to my time in school getting that degree.

In all seriousness I just don't like reading on tablets. I prefer physical books any day.