E-books - is it the end of the road for paperbacks?

Some doubted the Amazon Kindle and other e-readers would ever take off. Nevertheless, it is now confirmed as Amazon’s best-selling product ever, and sales of digital books for the Kindle have overtaken printed titles for the first time (albeit in the USA). It seems the Kindle’s place in our lives is confirmed.

So can a Kindle really match up to the much-loved paperback and what are the implications for our daughters’ schools and future reading habits? We asked some of our experts for their views…

The heads and staff we spoke to were very much in agreement as to the benefits of the Kindle and similar devices. They enjoy the fact that they are light and easy to carry when travelling and they like the convenience of the kindle shop, which enables you to browse and buy books, quickly and easily, wherever you happen to be. If you like to take a variety of books on holiday, it can be quite liberating, if a little un-nerving, to have a whole library of books at your fingertips through the Kindle. You can even have your place marked in each if you have several books on the go at once. Most users feel the device itself is easy to read in most lights, and the facility to easily change font size is a bonus! In addition, the built-in dictionary and search facility adds a dimension that regular books don’t have, while being able to subscribe to your favourite newspaper is the icing on the cake.

But what of the drawbacks? Many of our users were reluctant converts, initially put off by the small screen and initial costs of the device and some versions of books. Others felt they would struggle holding something that doesn’t bend and isn’t tactile. As one user explained: “The delight of the written word on the page, the encouragement of the cover illustration, the easy knowledge every time you pick up the book of how far in you are and how much is still to come – all of these small pleasures are missing from an e-reader.”
You can, of course, compare society’s movement towards e-readers with the way we have adopted ipods. For many, the transition from ownership of physical objects such as records, tapes & CDs, to downloads of music, which do not exist anywhere but on the hard drive or in the ‘cloud’, was traumatic. But perhaps this has paved the way for us to be more accepting of the transition to downloadable literature?

Are our children drawn to the use of e-readers?

Children are so used to electronic devices from a very young age it seems only natural that they will eventually carry electronic books instead of paper ones. It can be argued that as long as they are reading, we as parents or educators shouldn’t worry too much about how they are accessing the material. In particular, girls who are reluctant to read may find a gadget is a useful entry into the wonderful world of books. Plus they can do so much more than simply read – insert bookmarks, highlight text such as quotations and so on.

However, so far e-readers seem to appeal more to adults than children. It seems that our children are a step ahead already as, given a choice (and funds!), girls appear to favour ipads and similar devices which give them the full functionality of the internet and apps as well as being able to read novels and other available texts.

E-readers in schools

Recent press coverage has focussed on the decision by a small number of schools to convert their traditional libraries into e-learning centres. Is this a natural progression or a step too far?

Most of our e-reader users feel that their use in school is currently limited because of the poor availability of textbooks. This is because e-readers cannot – yet – accommodate images and colours very well. These are an important part of many text books, acting as reference points when students are skim-reading or searching for a particular point or page they recognise.

Consequently, while many teachers do see a place for the e-reader in schools – and may already be planning to incorporate e-books into their libraries – most want the traditional book to retain a presence. That said, the day may come when the Kindle, with its greater potential for repeat use, is a more financially viable option. Imagine successive years of students being able to highlight text and add their own personal notes to what is effectively a ‘new’ text. When they leave school the device is simply reset for a new student to use. It’s simply not possible to do that with a physical text. If developments continue, one appealing scenario is for students to have their textbooks stored centrally on a school server so they can access any of them at any time (even from home). There are operational considerations – girls may misplace their e-reader or forget to keep it charged – but there are always issues to overcome with any new way of doing things.

Electronic books will inevitably become increasingly important in schools. It is likely that, in time, we will all (adults and children alike) have a handheld device that is both a phone and mini-computer and that we will use them to read increasing amounts of material which we currently access in print. Whether or not e-readers will be the device of choice for schools is less certain, but , for personal use, its short-term future seems assured. As one librarian explains:

“As a librarian with 40 years experience I was horrified when my friend purchased a kindle. How could she? No colourful jacket, no smell of fresh pages and I thought it would be a hazard when reading in the bath. Naturally there is also the prospect that if everyone has kindles or electronic devices there will be no need for libraries.

Then I saw the light and bought my own. How easy now to transport a whole library of books on holiday. Even better vast tomes such as Wolf Hall become manageable in bed. There is no problem in getting comfy with a kindle and I also read it in the bath. In short I love it.

So, I’m not against the new technology despite the fact that I have spent the greater portion of my life with books in traditional format. I concede that so far they are not very good for illustrated texts but sitting up in bed and downloading the Times on a Sunday morning is absolutely fantastic. Conversion complete.”

With thanks to the Heads and staff of the following schools:
Berkhamsted School, Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls, Heathfield School Pinner GDST, Hollygirt School, Northampton High School, Portsmouth High School GDST, Roedean School, St Andrew’s School Bedford, St Mary’s School Calne, St Paul’s Girls’ School, The Godolphin School, Wakefield Girls’ High School