Gutenberg to e-readers

For this week's supplemental reading, I found a blogpost on the Washington Post's website called "The Future of Books: From Gutenberg to E-readers" by Dominic Basulto. The author's bio describes him as a "futurist and blogger based in New York City". Basulto argues that although the advent of e-books is considered a "revolution" in book publishing, frequently compared to Gunteberg's invention of the printing press, it hasn't changed how people read. The way we get our reading material is changing, but our experience may not be. As Basulto writes, "The experience of reading, the love of narrative, and the craving for new stories has been hard-wired into our DNA, and there's very little Silicon Valley can do to change this." 

I appreciated the way this blogpost connected the act of reading in the present to the past. I also enjoyed reading a positive discussion about e-books. I am an avid reader, both of printed and electronic books. While I do love the feeling of a well-worn book, I don't feel like my reading experience is diminished when I read on a kindle. As librarians and information professionals, it is important that we value any and all kinds of reading in the digital age.