This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
Word of Mouth

Do you have any interest in trying Nooks, Kindles or other e-book technology?

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Published: May 19, 2010
  • I’ve resisted moving to e-books due to limited titles and the need to purchase yet another electronic device. However, the new iPad has led me to reconsider. I’ve moved from a day-timer to a calendar app, and from CDs to digital files, so the move to electronic books is the next logical step for me. It can be tough to let go of these physical items, but it’s great to free up shelf space!

    David R. Wedekindt, MBA’02
    Director of Marketing
    Center for the Arts

  • You can buy a lot of books for the cost of a Kindle. You can’t share e-books with friends, buy them cheap at book sales or borrow them from your local library. And if you forget your Kindle somewhere, it won’t be there when you go back and you’ve lost your entire library.

    Valerie J. Priester, MLS ’99 & BA ’92
    Senior Applications Analyst
    Academic Services

  • I’m intrigued with these devices. How can you not be curious about an appliance that holds the contents of an entire library? I’ve tried them out, and several friends love theirs. But I’m wary of getting one more electronic personal device, between my laptop, BlackBerry and MP3 player. I now spend 60+ hours in front of a computer screen every week, so I’m reluctant to have one more glowing screen in front of my face. I guess I’m not ready to lose that wonderful and tactile experience: turning real pages in a book printed on wonderful paper with great typography. You can’t really “curl up” with a Kindle, can you?

    Ann R. Brown
    Senior Director of Development Communications
    University Development

  • I’ve watched, with some degree of interest, people using such devices in airports and restaurants. But at least for now, I’m treating them like I do digital picture frames: an alternative to the “real thing” that I can do without. Besides, I like the tactile feel of books and magazines, and the ease of navigating them by hand. But perhaps I’ll eventually add an e-book device to the other forms of technology I already carry around, like my BlackBerry, my laptop, my portable GPS and my iPod. We’ll see.

    Myron A. “Mick” Thompson, PhD ’73, EdM ’69 & BA ’67
    Associate Provost and Executive Director
    Graduate School