I think it's great that libraries made Tumble books, I believe that if children don't want to sit down and read all day then they can have fun reading/listening to tumble book. I especially think it's great for little kids to listen to tumble books when their parents are a bit tired!!!

By: iskate | See other thoughts by iskate

Hi everyone What do you think of the new Apple iPad, given that Apple is going to have it's own ebook and digital textbook store too?? Here's an interesting take on it from publishing perspective: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/apple-ipad-a-threat-to-publishers-bob-carr-20100129-n2zj.html I can see the day when we will be handing out iPads to people when they request ask for the Herald :) But having said that, although I am a Mac person, I am still a firm believer in the PAPERback and may it live long and prosper for years to come!

By: clulee13 | See other thoughts by clulee13

Hi Bwucie. Thank you for your comments! They made for interesting and entertaining reading. E-books always ensure a lively debate, don't they? Here in Digital Services we're quietly confident that e-books will not replace the printed word. Thanks to paperback novels I managed to get through a 17 hour flight. What we do see them doing, though, is providing more choice for customers. They can sometimes make things a little easier. For example, a good friend who works for the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind has said that e-books can become instant audiobooks with text-to-speech software, something his students greatly enjoy. Definitely there are quite a few pros and cons either way. Personally, I've always preferred the printed word. For reasons of accessibility, I like that I can carry more than one book at any one time, making sure I never get caught without something to read. And you're right - I can't start a fire in the bush with my e-reader :) Social networking can be an often weird and wonderful world - we in Digital Services have met so many people who have since become good friends. We've also, thanks to the generosity of online contacts & networks, been put on to some amazing books and websites we may not have found on our own. In my own case, it's added a bit extra to the newsletters that I edit. The best part of the social networking experience is that it is pretty much everything I choose to make it. Having said that, it can be disconcerting to find out how small the world really is - 6 degrees of separation becomes about 3 degrees in NZ, and smaller again when social networking! We very much appreciate your comment and look forward to your ongoing participation here in My Thoughts.

By: tosca | See other thoughts by tosca

Try eating fish and chips that have been wrapped in a Kindle. Try reading your e-book off your netbook after humping it three days into the bush. Battery still good, or do you have a three day long extension cord for your charger? Try ripping pages out of your Blackberry if you absolutely have to have dry kindling for a fire in a survival situation. Try swapping your e-novel for another from a fellow bookworm waiting for the Cook Strait ferry if his/her device has different formatting/connectivity to yours Don't even start me up about "social networking", the life you have when you don't have a life.

By: Bwucie | See other thoughts by Bwucie

My thoughts is about the book. I think we should have more books to read. Everytime I come to the library I always thought that why when I choose to borrow a book the book wouldnt be there. My other thought is we can keep the books neat and alphabetical but it can't be. Thank u for listening about my thoughts.

By: MathumethaS6 | See other thoughts by MathumethaS6

Personally, I can't see the day when e-books will replace the printed word. I have an ebook collection of well over 1,000 books and yet my requesting from library branches has not lessened one iota. If anything, the fact that I edit a couple of newsletters has seen it increase. What I enjoy about ebooks is that it offers me more choice - not less. My genre-fiction reading far exceeds what is ofered on our shelves and, for someone like me, ebooks are merely another avenue for a readable fix. As for updates to ipods, blackberries & various other e-readers it's a matter of seconds in most instances and, for me, a matter of course. I switch it on and if my notebook, iPod touch or blackberry prompts me to update I set it, walk away, and forget it for a bit and then come back ready to go again. What I find irritating are the variety of formats needed to read ebooks in - gimme one. Just one. Not one for each ereader. I do have to admit, though, that nothing beats curling up with a good book and a great coffee. And nothing is better than that new book smell (yes, I smell book pages, and you know you do, too).

By: tosca | See other thoughts by tosca