Paper vs Digital

When you want to sit down with a good book, do you prefer an actual, physical book or some kind of electronic equivalent on a computer screen? What about when you want to store that book for future reference? Which do you prefer for study, annotation, or editing, paper or electronic? Which do you prefer when you like the book so much that you would like to loan it to a friend? And what about those books that you like so much that you return to them over and over again?

Except for the storage challenge, my guess is that you almost always prefer a physical book or document to hold in your hands rather than the digital equivalent on the screen of your computer or e-reader. The only exception might be for when you read news, or maybe a blog like this one, in which case you settle for the on-screen experience rather than printing a hardcopy to read.

You may prefer a real book over screens because of better reading comprehension, because of the “feel” of a book, or because it may be more convenient for you to scribble notes in the margins. Regardless, as the article linked above shows, you are not alone. And even though some of us feel guilty about the stacks of books on the shelf, on the floor, and by our chair, waiting to be read, we still prefer our bound bundles of printed paper over the efficiency of electronic media. Three cheers for books! Although I do appreciate you reading my blog. 🙂