Books, not dependency on technology

With hopes there were other bibliophiles who read the interesting perspective of the Jan. 24 guest column “ ‘New Book' an opportunity for library,” I offer a perspective from the other side of the stacks.

Is it any coincidence that the old book has the advantage of 500 years of success and is not dependent upon ever-changing and expensive technology for access? Will we be using a Kindle in five years to read a book? No more likely than I'm using an '80s version of the IBM personal computer to write this letter - three computers ago for me.

But I can still open a book owned and read by my grandfather in the early 1900s. If we make technology the centerpiece of our libraries, we'll need to commit ourselves to the constant technology upgrades demanded by capitalism.

Charles R. Crawley

Cedar Rapids