Cup O’ Joe: What is the future for books?

Last month, Borders bookstores announced it was closing its doors nationwide, including three locations in the state, citing declining revenue and a shift in readers’ preferences. It’s a sad commentary on the transition of people choosing technology over tradition when it comes to reading.
    A trip downstate almost always involved stopping into Borders to check out the latest book or magazine releases, not to mention perusing the racks of movies and music.
The transition from books to technology is moving at a rapid rate. In schools, most middle school and high school students have their own laptop computers. It’s only a matter of time before elementary school children follow suit with computers, or Nooks/Kindles/iPads of their own, possibly signaling the end of textbooks in schools by the time this current generation graduates.
I guess it only makes sense, as we try to keep pace with an ever-changing global climate. Also, it’s rather difficult to find paper bags to cover your textbooks, as was the norm for generations. However, it’s hard to imagine a time when backpacks are no longer needed to carry several books for that night’s homework assignment. I wonder how chiropractors feel about this?
A similar trend is occurring with newspapers as more and more people are turning to the computer to get their information, rather than holding a paper in their hands. It is kind of scary to think of a time when LCD screens, rather than paper pages are where people will learn of the local news, or delve into the latest novel by Stephen King or others.
Imagine two or three generations from now, when there are no clippings on refrigerator doors showing colored pages from children or tidbits of local news featuring relatives or neighbors. Not to mention what will people do for reading material in the bathroom?
Locally, York’s Books has been a staple of Houlton’s downtown for many years and it would be hard to imagine Market Square without Lynn York’s shop. Likewise, Volumes Book Store is also a fine establishment where individuals can find a wealth of reading material at a bargain price. The Cary Memorial Library is another excellent source for discovering new books or re-discovering one of your favorite books.
Perhaps it will fall on the shoulders of parents to keep the tradition of reading books alive with their children. In our household, I have two daughters who love to read books (or have them read to them). In fact, our children often fight going to bed because they are engrossed in a book, reading by flashlight after “light’s out” time.
We often have to tell both of our children to turn the flashlights off and go to bed. I will still occasionally hear a clunk on the floor well past bedtime and go upstairs to find the flashlights illuminating the floor after it has fallen off the bed. It’s good because it also shows me where the book is so that I can find it easily.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.