Physical vs. Electronic Texts

Recently So Many Books wrote about The Library in the New Age by Robert Darnton. I clicked on the link to read it myself and was pleasantly intrigued. The article discusses the changes in information as well as its reliability throughout time and as we move towards a more electronic era. Will libraries eventually become obsolete due to advancements in technology such as Google?

I mused on this for a while. When I was in university I secretly grumbled at the antiquated professors that would not allow me to use internet references within my papers. I used to do the majority of my research online because of its convenience. I could Google a subject and within specific pages I could do a search for certain keywords. I didn't need to riffle through book after book trying to find the areas that were pertinent to my paper. I love being in libraries but I use them in a different manner. Libraries are for research that has no time limit and not for deadlines. I suppose that in this heavily caffeinated world using a library has a snail's pace in comparison to Google. We're too impatient to wait and search slowly.

I have tried to read electronic books because they are rampant on the internet but I just can't get the hang of it. It's uncomfortable to sit at my computer for that length of time and eventually I start to feel cross-eyed. I've even tried printing but it still isn't the same. Books are meant to be enjoyed from a comfy chair with the book in my hand (and yes, the smell of a book is integral!)