Books are something in my humble opinion do not digitize well, especially textbooks. There is something inherently normal in holding a real book and being able to easily go to the spot where I have stopped earlier. Even with the ability to hold hundreds of books, an e-reader does not give the same feel and experience. As much as "the Big River" has touted its e-reader, many initially took it up and dispensed with their books, and then many of those same people went back to real books. The only exception many of those people made for using the e-reader is for traveling. Real books are for the most part are a real part of many people's lives rather than the digital e-reader.
Nonetheless, the digital has made historical materials readily available to anyone who wants to peruse them as long as they have a library card or a subscription to the many digital databases.
For me, being able to access the Historical Washington Post when I was researching the women's suffrage movement was an incredible experience. Attempting to read the actual newspapers of the time (1900-1920) would be an incredible challenge. Granted, I could pick up on what was going on and experience the world of that time, but to be able to follow an individual or group would have been time consuming to go through each paper. The digital form of the newspaper available in searchable form let me follow an individual (Alice Paul) when her activities appeared in the paper. In addition, I have done the same for other historical events and happenstances.
Each time I have researched a person, event, or place, I was left with a feeling that others of the time period possibly felt. . . Of experiencing the event or situation as it unfolded. . .
Reading the articles let me travel through time without having others else digest and decide what I was to see or experience as in a book or film or other media. Was my experience real or not real when I did this? My point of view was not influenced by third parties, so I could decide what to read, believe, and choose to understand. Yes, to me the digital made it real, and a much more interesting experience.
Reading the articles let me travel through time without having others else digest and decide what I was to see or experience as in a book or film or other media. Was my experience real or not real when I did this? My point of view was not influenced by third parties, so I could decide what to read, believe, and choose to understand. Yes, to me the digital made it real, and a much more interesting experience.
