Are bookshelves becoming obsolete?

[ctg]

The e-book is on the rise — but that does also mean that the bookshelf will disappear?
In response to this post on the obsolete tech that people thought would be around forever, commenter IrTehSuck makes the case for why the printed book — and it's display shelf — could carry on:

I just like the idea of "Collecting". I'll buy a hard copy of a book, even if I have it on an e-reader, just so I can display it on my shelf. Same with movies and CDs.

What are people going to look at when they visit your house and you're in the bathroom or cooking the food? I always look at the items on peoples shelves... these things tell you a lot about the person. I can't do that if everything is digital... kind of makes me sad to think that I'm a dying breed.
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Of course, you could also argue that the display shelf hasn't disappeared with e-books and video streaming, it's just moved online as well, to your Facebook pages you like or to the reviews you leave. Still there's something about seeing all the physical books and movies someone has collected that seems different — for one thing it seems likely to be a little less carefully curated, with old favorites mixed in with more random selections that you've also picked up.

What do you think? Will the bookshelf and dvd case survive? And, if not, what will replace it?

Are bookshelves becoming obsolete?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Not in my house... One in our room with two TBR piles, one in the kids room, the office, three in the living room...

Why do these threads keep insisting the same thing and not recognising there will always be those of us who want to read a paper book and don't give a stuff about e-books.

Grump over.

 

[Ogma]

The DVD case will go the way of the dodo because the technology it relies upon is outmoded. The book shelf will survive although it will be perhaps more about the aesthetics.


On a personal note, there are four book cases in my home already. Some books are also stuffed into a wardrobe. It's the main reason I bought a kindle - I just could not fill the house with any more books! (To be honest a few still sneak in, but only a few).

 

[Ursa major]

The key to getting rid of one's bookcases is, obviously, putting all one's existing books inside the Kindle.

Thing is, I'm worried that by removing the back of its case, I might damage the Kindle and make it difficult to read the ebooks I've bought. Can someone who's already gone this route please advise?

 

[ctg]

Thing is, I'm worried that by removing the back of its case, I might damage the Kindle and make it difficult to read the ebooks I've bought. Can someone who's already gone this route please advise?

Do you need to replace the battery or is there something wrong with the screen? Note that it might be cheaper to replace battery yourself then sending it back to amazon for a replacement. And if there is a need, Ifixit will help you on how to open it properly. Kindle Fire HD Teardown - iFixit

 

[Foxbat]

The DVD case will go the way of the dodo because the technology it relies upon is outmoded.

It all depends on who you are and what your needs are. I've been a collector of movies for most of my adult life. I've gone through Betamax, VHS, Laser Disc and now DVD and Blu-Ray. What does not appeal to me is the idea of video streaming because there is no tangible object at the end of it (I don't class a hard drive as an item worth collecting). So, for me the DVD will still have its place for many years to come. Also, just look around music stores and see the resurgence in vinyl. This proves that a technology need not be mass-market to survive - it just needs to re-invent itself.

Never discount a technology just because it is old or outmoded.

 

[Ursa major]

Do you need to replace the battery or is there something wrong with the screen?

There's nothing wrong with my Kindle.


(Not that I know of, anyway.)

 

[AnyaKimlin]

To be honest I have looked at mine and wondered why I have them. Between my Kindle, audible books and Google the only books I've taken off the shelf this year have been the children's books.

 

[thaddeus6th]

I still dive back into books, especially those of a historical nature which have maps and photos.

 

[MattC]

I like e-books, and I read fiction via my Kindle and iPad. But ... no, I wouldn't agree that bookshelves are becoming obsolete. To say that would be like asking "are picture frames becoming obsolete?" The rise of the digital photo means we have less photo-binders, but we still hang our photos on the wall, or have them sitting on our desks. I know that a picture and a book are different things in terms of content, but in terms of possessions, they are very much the same thing. A book is a reminder of a time in ones life, just as it is a reminder of the story it tells. Unlike the more fleeting DVDs, books are an affair of the imagination, and their physical presence acts like any good photo does, capturing the feeling the time they were read. Having a book on the shelf reminds you of where you were when you read it, and who you were.
And, just as importantly, it reminds you that your favourite book is just an arm-reach away, something to be dipped into when the mood takes, rather than having to switch on the e-reader, or wait for the battery to charge up.

Physical books don't need batteries. You can even read them in the bath.

So no, I reckon we're a long, long way from book shelves being obsolete. I do think we will buy less physical books, and more ebooks, but I honestly believe we will only be more selective about the physical titles we buy. Books will become collector's pieces, some will be signed by the author (you can't do that with an ebook) and this tactile love-affair with paper and print will continue, unless it becomes too expensive to print and publish books.

 

[ctg]

What if you're minimalist? Would you get rid of the book shelves and stuff on them to have minimal impact in your home? Think about people, who live in the submarines or other cramped up places, like motels and communities (barracks). An ebook platform is just one thing you need to carry, while a physical book takes up much more space, and can in some cases be heavier than a reader.

 

[MattC]

What if you're minimalist? Would you get rid of the book shelves and stuff on them to have minimal impact in your home? Think about people, who live in the submarines or other cramped up places, like motels and communities (barracks). An ebook platform is just one thing you need to carry, while a physical book takes up much more space, and can in some cases be heavier than a reader.

That wouldn't make something obsolete. A person's environment will always dictate how they do a thing. When I went travelling around Australia and New Zealand, I had an MP3 player and no CDs. I still read physical books though, but only paperbacks which I read and then left from hostel to hostel. Environment and circumstance is key to the habits of society.

For example, minimalists may not have shelves at all, but how many of us are minimalists? And how many live on submarines? People who live in cramped places will often have very little money anyway to spend on things such as e-readers or tablets. And cost is the big factor. Stripping out the cheap cost of the e-books themselves, there are still a lot of people who can't afford £90 on an e-book, when they can pick up a physical book for less than a fiver. They aren't able to look at the long-term savings.

E-books are still rising, true, and I hope they continue to, but they have a long way to go to eclipse physical books, which could become more a yard-stick for quality as e-books are associated with self-publishing. If this happens physical books will continue to have a professional dominance over all formats, rightly or wrongly.

In the end, circumstance is always key to a long-term and radical shift in the way we do things. We are a long way off from a change in the majority's circumstances and environments that could lead book readers away from the physical entirely, and towards digital only.

 

[Rafellin]

Only because I have to keep selling my collection to fund life and publishing. On the up side; I always sell the bookcase pretty quick too, so evidence is that they're still in demand. Whether for books or bric-a-brac is another question

 

[barrett1987]

I know i'll only ever buy physical copies of books i adore now. A book shelf filled with what i consider the best of the best. The kindle is a cheaper and easier way to read absolutely anything and everything. Someone said it above, book cases look nice.

 

[millymollymo]

I still struggle to find 'new' authors the traditional way. There's something tactile about a book for me. That said I have plenty of e-copies filling up my kobo.
Like there are divides over the types of publishing, the types of genre, the types of cover, there will now and for ever be 'My book's better because....(insert your argument here.)' Equally, 'I'm a more intelligent/educated/informed person/reader because....(insert your argument here.)'
I'm just waiting for the marketing departments to jump on it.

 

[hopewrites]

The difference that I think is key is the tech needed to utilize these things. One needs a working betamax player to make use of vintage betamax tapes. One needs a working record player to enjoy listening to vinyl.
Lets think about the tech needed to use printed books... now hold that thought! Because such vintage equipment needs special care doesnt it. I mean, its been around for centuries, millenia even. Longer than the printed word itself.

Luckily its forwards as wells as backwards compatible, so I dont think the printed (as in printed with ink on paper) word will become as outmoded by something as tech-dependant as an e-reader.

 

[ratsy]

I bought binders for all my DVD's and tossed the cases. Everyone thought I was crazy but really...do I need a case to a movie that I never watch..I do not need to Showcase how much money I have wasted on bad movies and 1990's sitcoms!!!

I also moved all my cd's onto my computer and backed it up...cd's were either given to coworkers or tossed. Booya...more space!

But through it all..I love books. I need books. I want to see them, touch them; smell them even. They will always be on a shelf (when I buy more and take a bunch out of the boxes)

Books mean too much to me. I do not need to display them for anyone else's benefit. I am not showing them so people can come over and admire how many books I have/or read. They are for me to love! ahhaha...

 

[TheDustyZebra]

The key to getting rid of one's bookcases is, obviously, putting all one's existing books inside the Kindle.

Thing is, I'm worried that by removing the back of its case, I might damage the Kindle and make it difficult to read the ebooks I've bought. Can someone who's already gone this route please advise?

Removing the back of the case shouldn't damage it -- its when you try to cram it back on over all those books that you risk bending something. Credulity, most likely. Do you have one of those first-generation Kindles, that took up an entire room?

 

[Ursa major]

Do you have one of those first-generation Kindles, that took up an entire room?

No.


But I've probably watched too much Doctor Who for my own good.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

That explains it. But in that case, you shouldn't have any trouble putting the back of the case back on, after putting all the books in the universe inside. Just don't let any of them fall in the swimming pool.