New forms for books

It's a good thing this is a weekend because all librarians should take some of their extra time to read an insightful blog about book format. Craig Mod, a book designer and writer, discusses the endlessly-debated question of whether the i-Pad and other e-book readers will make printed books obsolete. Instead of merely recounting emotional feelings about print and paper, Mod thoughtfully distinguishes between different kinds of content. The content, after all, he says, should be the determining quality of the book. Much content is formless, it is essentially a flow of words telling a story about something or arguing a point. The author isn't thinking about how the words will look on a page or on a screen, but how the reader will encounter them in his mind. Other contents--poetry, and works with images embedded--are definite content. They cannot be changed in format without losing or confusing some of the meaning. People who present books to the public should think about what kind of content they are dealing with and how it should be presented. Digital or non-digital are lesser questions. Now that the i-Pad is poised to show us how digital content can integrate words and images, it may be possible for formed content to be presented in an e-book. On the other hand, some books are artifacts that should be preserved for their own sake because they are irreplaceable. This article is necessary reading. It will get you thinking. Those of us who have seen some of the book art exhibitions in which content is subordinated to lovely but gimmicky illustrations and format can appreciate Mr. Mod's respect for content. Anyone involved in the content-sharing professions of writing, reading, building a library, or publishing will want to think about what their highest goals should be.