The Evolution of the Book

O Day of days when we can read! The reader and the book, either without the other is naught.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

It would be naive and closed-minded of me to say that being a "librarian," in the sense of the word most people think of, is a job I will ever successfully master . Like many things, it is a job that will continuously change and mold itself to the needs of it's patrons. Books have done the same thing over hundreds of years, changing with both technology and availability advances and demands.

When it comes to literature, what exactly does the future hold? So long as people have thoughts in there hearts, they will be putting words in print, or type, or whatever medium may arise to suit the occasion. The written word is the language of the soul. It is far easier to be honest on paper where it can be shared in a less personal but somehow more intimate manner than words spoken aloud. It gives the reader time to process and to reflect upon what they have impressed into their minds and memories through sight. No response is necessary, only thought and imagination.

In 1455, Johannes Gutenburg’s first printed version of the Bible started a revolution that helped books evolve in such a way that made them more accessible to the masses. The need to write and record things has been a part of human nature and culture for thousands of years. No matter what the medium, whether silk, clay, stone, scrolls, or pages, people have found a ways to write and to read. As long as we have writers we will have readers and as long as we have readers, we will have writers.

The advent of EReaders like the Kindle and the Nook and the IPad are helping the printed word in continuing its progress on the evolutionary ladder. It is hard to imagine clusters of monks gathered around candles scribing entire books by hand when we can simply press “buy now” and the money disappears from our accounts and we can read whatever books we want in a matter of seconds.

What's next?

I can guess, but I can't begin to assume to know the vast possibilities technology and literature hold for the future. I can say for certain that there is a future for libraries and librarians, and I expect them to continue to evolve and survive, as the book has and as writers and readers have done in order to acquire and distribute knowledge, encourage free thinking, and share thoughts and ideas.