Old Habits are Hard to Break

Courtesy of Dana Summers from the Orlando Sentinel, a lighthearted look at the struggles people are encountering now that many newspapers have ceased daily home delivery.

Magazines: Hard Copy or Electronic Copy?

The debate about whether you like to read your magazines in their original hard copy form or in their electronic form is becoming a moot point as more and more magazines are closing shop.

Effective in March, Country Home, the popular country-style magazine, will permanently shut down. In addition, the magazine's website will also go dark. The Meredith Corporation made the announcement in January. Meredith blames the economy for Country Home’s demise.

Last year, Hearst’s O at Home, Condé Nast’s House & Garden, and Time Inc.’s Cottage Living all stopped producing issues and shut down their websites, victims of the poor economy.

The Kindle is So Yesterday...

Technology marches on. Today, the Kindle. Tomorrow -- literally -- Plastic Logic? Yep. Sorry Jeff Bezos of Amazon, but your 15 nano seconds of fame concerning reader technology appear to be up.

Imagine what comes after tomorrow.

[Hat tip to coolhunting.com]

Are You Ready for Video Books?

HarperCollins Publishers announced yesterday their publication of a "video book" edition of Jeff Jarvis' What Would Google Do?

From the HarperCollins press release:

"Advances in digital technology and distribution are creating exciting and new opportunities for book publishers and authors every day," said Brian Murray, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers. "Part of our mission is to help authors find new and complimentary ways to present their ideas to consumers through multiple platforms, formats and channels. A video edition of Jeff's book is a terrific example of a new product that is both a viral marketing tool and hopefully a new revenue stream."

You can see a 2 minute sample of this title through Amazon.com here. Is this just a gimmick? A good companion to print material? Just another name for "lecture" or "documentary"? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think!

The Benefits of Print Media?

Recently, The Tech Desk has been covering the switch from print to digital format in the news business. It seems more and more media are reducing or eliminating print and moving to all online, electronic publications. One publication that seems to want to keep a foot in both worlds is Entertainment Weekly. This ad recently appeared on the magazine's website, touting the benefits of print media.

Other ads on the site encourage readers to use the hard copy magazine as a keepsake to remember significant events (the passing of Paul Newman, the release of the Twilight movie).

Personally, I utilize both forms of the magazine. I read my hardcopy of the magazine during my daughter's dance class, but I also read the ew.com website for original content, such as recaps of popular TV shows and literary theories regarding the labyrinth that is Lost.

Weigh in on the debate. Do you prefer to read newspapers and magazines in their original paper format, or do you curl up in front of a computer screen to read your favorite periodical?

Publishing at the Crossroads

The February 2, 2009 issue of Time magazine has an interesting article by Lev Grossman about the future of the publishing industry. He sees the rise of e-books and the ease in which authors can self-publish their material creating a major shift in the publishing world. Anything that happens in publishing has a direct link to libraries, and it will be interesting to see how this change will impact libraries in the future.

The complete article can be found here.