Digital Newspapers

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/10/24/pleitgen.digital.paper.cnn
Digital paper is among us and will be the wave of the future. In a current article at CNN.com a futuristic company called Plastic Logic, that specializes in plastic items, has began to develop a digital but plastic newspaper. The item is made of plastic but has a digital cover that with the waving of a thumb will change the pages on the cover. The new item is designed to replicate newspapers across the world. The paperless news periodical will be run through either wireless connections or blue tooth capability, and downloads the most current articles for the intended reader. Plastic Logic is naming this device as the E Reader and the main objective for going plastic or “going green” with this device is to cut back on the use of trees for paper materials. Four billion trees are cut down every year for paper goods and Plastic Logic is attempting to minimize that number as much as possible.
The future of our world is digital and this only makes sense to convert the newspapers over digitally as well. The environment takes a beating more and more every year from many different sources of man made instruments, so the option to cut back on the destruction of trees is always a plus. Although, most people do not even read the paper anymore, instead they just go online and research the news on the Internet. Also, on the other hand there is always the type of old school individuals that love to sit back with a cup of coffee and read the daily paper. Can we convert these types into buying an E Reader to save paper? Well Plastic Logic plans on dropping this item into the market next year so we will find out soon enough.

The Infodiet

This article, written by Steven Bell, relates very closely to the current education that our class is receiving in our library class. Bell writes on the availability of information to college aged students, and how they find information for not only school research but every day life questions. When one asks another a question about something and their peer does not know the answer, typically they will say, “Google it!” This is the issues that Bell writes on, and he humorously relates all the issues to fast food. Students want quick fast answers. So, instead of doing a well though out and extensively researched paper for school, students use Google for their resources. The library pays thousands of dollars every year for subscriptions to journals so they are available for students. Most students do not take advantage of these resources simply because it is too difficult to utilize the libraries resources. Once again students want quick easy answers. The problem with a Google search is referenced as “Infobesity.” Google results are broad and not trust worthy like the scholarly academic information that you will find in the library.
I feel that it is true that if the library research process was easier than more students would use the library. Although, I agree with some of what Bell writes that students working on research papers should be well though out and should not be easy. Students need to learn how to research and work hard. On the other hand for every day answers to just about anything, it is hard to go wrong with just “Google it!”