From atoms to bits: the e-volution of the book

Volume 20, Number 6 • June 2000

From atoms to bits: the e-volution of the book
by Andrew K. Pace

COMING FULL CIRCLE column discusses the transformation of the book from traditional print product to futuristic electronic unit. Predicts that in five years, e-book sales will match those of traditional print and that in ten years e-book sales will exceed print sales. Notes that in the beginning, the technology was crude, and suppliers were practically begging publishers for titles. Says that now, however, netLibrary has over 16,000 titles an is adding 2,000 each month. States that there is a huge opportunity for libraries to take the technological - rather than traditional - high ground. Says that the traditional book is still cheaper and more portable than an electronic book. Adds that a bigger problem is the providing scholarly legitimacy in an intensively conservative academic environment that still distrusts the validity of electronic works of scholarship. Includes a list of references.