First, preference shifted to e-mail over snail mail. Then, it was online dating over meeting someone in person. Now, it’s whipping out a Kindle, Nook or iPad to download an e-book over visiting a bookstore to physically take a book off the shelf. Is the world headed toward a paperless society?
Recently Borders Group Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Borders announced that 200 out of 650 stores will close nationwide in the coming weeks. Seven of these closing bookstores are in North Texas, according to a recent Dallas Morning News article.
It’s a warning sign that paperless technology is taking over if one of the most prominent bookstore chains is rapidly going out of business. Even though Borders made some major mistakes (like selection of CEOs) that contributed to its failure, the main reason stands out from all of the others, front and center: e-books. Despite the convenience that growing technology creates, traditional bookstores and hard-copy books should always exist.
Though other bookstores like Barnes & Noble are temporarily staying alive by creating devices like Nooks, these adaptations still don’t meet the needs of readers who want to hold a book and turn the pages. USA Today reported that Barnes & Noble has already closed all of its 798 B. Dalton mall outlet stores and plans to close six to 10 superstores a year over the next three years. If a large bookstore chain that arguably has more power than Borders is closing even a few stores, it’s bad news for book lovers.
What will happen to book lovers who consider bookstores havens from the outside world? What about the authors who thrive from seeing their works stocked on the shelves? And what about authors’ book signings? For many, there are countless joys that come from the sheer atmosphere of a bookstore. If the industry continues to spiral downward and all bookstores become virtual via the app store, these joys may no longer exist.
If bookstores go virtual, will other institutions follow suit? The Washington Post wrote that Obama’s administration wants to make most federal benefits like Social Security paperless by 2013. But what happens when a cutting-edge act of cyber terrorism occurs, and we are left with nothing but deleted files and lost checks?
If bookstores can find a way to keep people still wanting hard copies of books, other institutions might realize the contingency and sheer stupidity of going completely paperless. Otherwise, our Founding Fathers from above will frown upon our country—one that established its roots on a piece of paper.
Natalie Posgate is a junior journalism major. She can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].
