Http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/302065/the-future-books - Personal Statement Example

Reflection With the rapid development of technology, everything is turning into compact and micronized forms. Books that have enlightened the society since ages and beautified the majestic shelves of grand libraries are being transformed into newer and innovative form called e-books. New generation is more attracted to the digital books as these can be accessed any time at any part of the world. Also, the requirement of huge space of the eclipsing spectacular hard dead-tree books is minimised with the publicity and popularity of the digital books.

Feria, in his article, makes it clear that the smell of new books cannot be beaten by its improvised modern cousin i.e. the digital books. Neither the article is against the libraries or the librarians. But it focuses on the rapid popularity and essentiality for the digital books. The implementation of the digital books is becoming so fast that the major universities like University of Texas (situated at San Antonio) implemented the system into their Engineering and Technology Library. On the light of the above statement, Feria first takes the readers to the site which enables us to understand the effect of the E-Book on the E-Readers and the immense influence it is having on the modern education system.

Digital textbooks are becoming increasingly popular and are becoming more viable option for the students who can access books, journals for reference and study any time in their laptops or desktops or even in their smart-phones during their transit. This enables proper and wide distribution of learning resources among students. The most interesting fact is that apart from the university libraries being entirely transformed into digital archives, there are also libraries of major institutions which are transforming their libraries into technically enabled archives.

For example, library at University of California in Merced Engineering Library of Stanford are in a mission for reducing the dead-tree books at a very rapid rate. Even the school libraries are more inclined towards the system of e-libraries and the library of Lamar High School is worth checking in this regard. Principal of the Lamar School, James McSwain took some revolutionary steps by burning all the unnecessary books from the school library and replacing the huge shelves acquiring the large space with cafeteria and urged his students to come and spend time over the area and access huge amount of books online.

He even allowed the students to use the school laptops if they do not possess their own. Similar kind of story evolved out from the bulletin of one of the elite boarding schools in Ashburnham called Crushing Academy. Instead of redoing only carpet, walls and floors of the library in the renovating procedure, they also moved out their physical books because of their inclination towards digital books. And with this kind of vision they not only installed circular desk and warm cafeteria area but also installed wall television.

And all these were done for the modernising the concept of library and making it more relative, contemporary and interesting despite of the annoyance of many book and library lovers. With this gaining popularity of digital books which are being fast replaced by the traditional dead-tree books, Google on June 2010 has scanned more than 12 million books and showed the right way to have digital access to the editions which are hard and without any point of having it on a dead-tree version. With the vision of an enhanced Library Project Mission, Google enables its readers to access digital version of the required books and maintains a well-bred sophisticated catalogue with detailed database with the information of the users and books.

Thus, with the rapid digitalisation of books, the interest of the new generation is also gaining its hold on the digital libraries with circular tables, smart-phones, and laptops’ area for discussion along with warm cosy space for beverages and snacks. The entire concept through a revolutionary metamorphosis has turned out to be very relative in the contemporary world. Bibliography Feria, Rom. The Future of Books. Manila February 10, 2011. Bulletin Publishing Corporation. February 02, 2011