ಕಾಗದರಹಿತ ಸಮಾಜ : ನಿಜವೋ, ಭ್ರಮೆಯೊ??

Prediction of extinction of printed books and traditional libraries has been a fancy preoccupation of futurologists of paperless society. This paper examines whether books and libraries are going to be the matter of past. Standard reference tools in electronic form are better replacements for the printed ones with several advantages like being economical, widely accessible, dynamic, searchable, ease of publishing and distribution. On the contrary, e-books, particularly those for continuous reading, face many disadvantages like lack of personalization, uniform format, necessity of a e-book reader, and physical strain. In addition e-books inherit all the hazards posed by electronic media. Advantages of printed books for serious and fast reading, better assimilation, thought provocation, thinking and also for intrinsic self growth make them more sought after by users. A national readership survey showed that reading habit has not declined over time, instead, book publishing, sales and borrowing from libraries have increased, despite the much hyped prediction of paperless society