You may notice your books shelves looking a little emptier these days. Amazon.com announced last August that their sale of e-books had overtaken their sales of physical books. Coming from this online book megastore, what does this mean for the future of books? Today, everyone prefers simplicity and convenience. It is true that e-books will reduce the amount of clutter on your book shelf, but do they provide the same experience we can get out of a real book? Buying a book has always been an enjoyable experience. You can search through collections in a store, make a purchase, hold the book, read it, and share it with friends. A major concern for older generations is that e-books will not be able to give us the same enjoyment. Book collections have sentimental value for many people, which is why there is the concern that libraries on e-readers will not hold the same meaning. Many people will not pass their e-book down from generation to generation, which gives a rise to the concern of less people reading in the future. Since children are becoming more and more tech-savvy, the e-readers are sure to be the more preferred mode of reading.

We have already seen this transformation take place with records, CDs, video tapes, and photographs. All of these aspects of the digital revolution have made changes in our everyday lives. It is too soon to tell if the digitization of books will be better, worse, or neither. It will certainly be easier, but will it also be less enjoyable? E-Readers are also sure to change the culture of our schools. As a student of online education, do you believe e-books will be beneficial to learning? To read more about how e-books are beginning to eliminate physical books, check out this article!