Will Senior Citizens Embrace Ebooks ?

Reading a book online just doesn't seem right for those of us that grew up loving the smell of libraries and the feel of a thick book. Aging will do that to you. Like comfort foods and a comfortable sweater, real books are very hard to give up. It may be true that those of you that are youthful have already embraced digital readers so this discussion may not be of any interest to you. But if you are still wavering and can't see the need to change anything, you might want to give this some thought. Especially if you are a boomer or a senior citizen like me. I know for a fact that in the world of mature adults the discussion is still going on.

So the question is will senior citizens see the value in using e-readers for their reading?

All of us that were raised in a literate society have learned to read books made out of paper with text written on the pages. I for one grew up in a small town with no library save those found in the classrooms. The book was a treasured birthday or Christmas gift.

My mother ordered a box of books from our state library for several summers when I was on the cusp of becoming a addicted reader. The box would arrive with books selected by a librarian working in our state library across the state. I remember the smell of that box and the treasured hours spent reading and traveling in my imagination to far off places. It was the water that fed the seed called curiosity. That emotional attachment is so deeply engrained in me that it is like another heart, I have always thought it was necessary to my survival.

Books have a weight in my hands. Each days reading leaves a sense of satisfaction as I look back on the pages I have read. I go to bed at night with a well fed brain and an active imagination. That is what I have done all my life.

Then there was the need to possess the actual book. I have always loved the look of the covers on my shelves. When I walked through our loft library I have always scanned the covers and am reminded of long ago journey of learning or fantasy and I would relive each books story. As the years wore on so did the book collection and the weight of all those books. In spite of that I still love the idea of owning the book, of taking as long as I like to read each and every word. The thought of a time limit on the amount of time I could take to read a book made it seem like a duty rather than a joy. So I avoid libraries.

If you are a young reader you can relate to some of these thoughts I am sure. If you older and a life long reader you know exactly what I am talking about. I am well aware of the importance of reading after retirement. It is simply a matter of finding the perfect and affordable way to get the books needed. I know people that never buy a book but go to the library instead. I know people that haunt thrift stores and second hand book stores. They buy the books for a few cents and then donate them back. I know people that trade their books with other readers. Each of these ways of getting their reading material works and fulfills their needs. So the question is why would they ever change from the paper book to the e-reader? In the end it is going to be a matter of physical need and cost. Seniors are money wise and very thrifty.

During my short life time of 70 years we have learned to fly into space, invented computer and digital cameras, invented smog and pollution and reinvented reading. Like the cave writers of long ago, a happy accident happened much like the first doodling that happened on the cave wall. We discovered the idea that words did not need to be written down on paper, copied millions of times and then discarded or stored forever. We could in fact store all that information in a small space and retrieve it. It was as though we had emerged from the cave into a bright new world.

But what are we to do with all the emotional baggage we carry around? How are we to ever arrive at a place where we can get the satisfaction from books or research done on a reading device rather than a book that allows us to flip back through the pages, to remember material from the left side of the pages at the top on the page with a small graph of some sort? Is there a way that we can actually give up the beautiful cover that greeted us each time we closed the book for the night? I am working on that.

It could be that there is no correct or better way. Maybe certain types of paper books will always exist. They may fade away only to be reinvented by some future generation that embraces the art of a book as though it is a brand new idea. I am thinking that some books will always remain in my world. I carry several books with me when I leave to stay in our home in the south in the winters. They are books that inspire or inform. I love them. Just having them gives me comfort. But I am now a veteran and involved computer researcher and ebook reader. I now look up information online even from those books I carry with me. I confess. I don't buy or even use paper books anymore.

As we grow mature we find that our physical need change. I need large print and I don't even want to hold a huge book of very large words. I have been using a digital reader for about a year now. It is an old one I was given and until it breaks down I will probably keep it. I don't know if I would choose this device if I were shopping for one. I like the idea that I could check out digital books at the library and my reader does not do that yet. I understand that we will be able to do that soon but not yet.

So why do I like this device so much? I like the immediacy of downloading a book anywhere I have a wireless connection. I like the reduced cost of the books. I like that I don't need to store or travel with boxes of books. I like to read with a larger font. I like that the enlarged font allows me to read as long as I wish without eye strain. I like the weight and size and convenience of the device itself. And I have found that I don't miss the emotional response to the smell and feel of a paper book.

I will never go back to reading the old way and abandon the ebooks. I have moved out of the cave.

I have been retired for almost 15 years now. I have seen more progress in technology and creative invention in those 15 years than in all the previous year. As an aging retiree I love this time in our universe. It is very exciting. But I do know the more things change the more they will stay the same. Libraries will continue to store books until they crumble away. But they are taking on a new roll in our lives. We can now go to our local library websites and learn to download books onto our reading devices. Hopefully, by doing this the number of books or downloads will exceed that of the paper versions. This should allow more people to read new material sooner. The space consumed by libraries may shrink but the volume of information can double and triple. I am getting old and I don't like waiting on a list before I can read a book. I suppose that is another reason I have always been a book buyer.

Book and newspaper publishers are seeing the need to reinvent the way words are delivered. But print input is still needed as are digital images and visual information of all sorts. Writers and reporters are not going to be out of a job. But the printing process will change in ways we cannot imagine. The information age is moving at such a rapid pace who knows what next year will bring. I for one love the growth that goes with progress.

I was almost hesitant to write this article. In my mind the ship has sailed. We are living in a wonderful age. In education we used to say lead the parade, follow the parade or get out of the way because the parade is coming. I have finally gotten over that emotional comfort food of paper books and am now feeding my mind with a new diet designed around the old tastes. I just hope that other seniors realize how wonderful technology is and join me in the parade. If they don't they will be left behind.