Codex obsessed (an excursus on digital reading)

In a presentation from 2008 on the future of bibliographic control, Brian Schottlaender describes LC Reference Librarian Thomas Mann as being "obsessed with the codex." Well I may be immersed in digital library development in my work life, but in my personal life, I, too, am obsessed with the codex.

I can describe it in Twitter-like form: I read online because I have to; I read offline because I want to. I read as far as I have to online to see if it's something I want to read closely, then I print it off. (My hunch is there will be a publishing market for reprints because I doubt I'm the only one out there with this reading style of online discovery/offline reading.)

I finally have some hard evidence that justifies my dislike of online reading. Recently, I had to take two long online training programs for work that were mandatory (and I knew were going to be tested at the end of the process). After two hours my eyes hurt even though I tried to break up the reading by stepping away from the computer during that two-hour period. I took a lunch break and then took the second test for another hour and 40 minutes. These tests requiring long periods of reading online confirmed what I knew instinctively, the computer is not a good device for careful, focused reading (the type of reading I prefer as time permits). It's not the task-oriented, find-the-answer reading that the Internet is so suited for. About six months ago I decided that, even thought I love my web life: blogging, tweeting, etc., my offline reading life is way more important to me. I have tried to build more offline reading time into my schedule.

So, if I was asked the stranded on a desert island question: If you could only take your computer or your books, which would it be? It would be my books, hands-down (and my reading glasses). Yes, I'm madly, happily codex obsessed!

Comments

[Nathan]

Christine,

I am not an ebook reader, but from what I gather, the readers like the Kindle and the Nook, for example, are much easier on the eyes.

"I read online because I have to; I read offline because I want to. I read as far as I have to online to see if it's something I want to read closely, then I print it off."

I now copy the articles I want to read (if its not a PDF), paste them into an Outlook email, send it to myself, and read it on the iPod touch that my work provides and encourages me to use. Most of this reading is pro development, and more of the free reading or deep reading (where I know I'm going to want to deeply digest and probably mark up a text) I do in print. I think the iPod touch screen is a little easier on the eyes than the regular computer screen also. But I could be wrong (maybe I'm just used to so much reading on computer screens now).

~Nathan

[Christine Schwartz]

Hi Nathan,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and reading method via the iPod touch.

I have tried the Sony ebook reader and the Kindle. The e-ink resolution is definitely better than a computer screen, I'll give you that. I have a Droid smart phone and it has a nice resolution too (better than your average computer screen).

Of course some of this is work related. As a metadata librarian, I'm staring at two monitors all day, Monday to Friday. So, my need to read offline is partially to strike a balance. But my passion for reading print on paper goes beyond the practical. It's more like a religious devotion. That's what I was trying to describe in this post.