As a reader and librarian I am always interested in discussions about the future of the book. If you are interested, too, you should see this video on three possible paths:
I am interested in all of these potential paths, but also can’t have fun imagining them without confronting questions that arise from them as well. In the case of Nelson, what happens when you only see opinions that resonate with your own, much as we experience online at this point in time. In Coupland, what types of privacy will be available? I don’t necessarily want my personal reading showing up in business related lists (and vice versa). In Alice, what happens to people who want to read to escape, without having to actively play along? And in any of these, what is the role of the library?
All that being said, they’re still fascinating options, and clearly we have a lot of exciting times head in the world of the book…