The Doomsday eBook

In their never ending attempt to straddle the divide between electronic information access and books, Biblioposers know no shame. We have previously exposed their annual advocacy of the phony "Banned Books Week," but now we find an entirely new ritual they intend to promote. Read an eBook Day is a "celebration of modern storytelling" that encourages people to eschew print for a virtual reading experience on a computing device. The official website for this snake oil sale features a parade of glowing personal testimonials (although few contributors seem able to actually name a title they have read on their Kindles). Instead we find arguments that tout the convenience of the devices for readers whose hand arthritis prevents them from comfortably holding a real book. (Break from sarcasm: if these things help the disabled, they can indeed be considered a boon to mankind.)

Aside from physically challenged reader use (and the use by physically fit people who use them on their treadmill machines) we wonder if the widespread acceptance of eBooks is a good thing. There are a number of studies that question the true comprehension and retention of information gathered from a glowing screen. There may also be another, more evil, agenda at work here. Besides the built-in distraction features that allow shortened attention spans to skip from title to title (or even to break off to check email or cat videos) eBooks seem almost made to order for the excuses the Information Scientists need to justify their continuing disposal of print. Australian journalists have caught on to this doomsday scenario, and here at True Archives, we applaud their insightful warnings!