by Lynn Grilli

I am a long time lover of the printed word, especially fiction, but since turning a certain defining age, I have found it increasingly difficult to stay focused and awake in the evenings to satisfy my passion for reading. Luckily, I find new technologies irresistible.  I realize that a gray-haired librarian loving technology runs a bit against the stereotype we all love to hate. I am definitely not a Luddite. I pride myself in keeping just a speck ahead on the technology learning curve. It is difficult to maintain that position – it is a bit like the hamster on the wheel; I just keep on running and running to keep ahead of the pack (which in this case is 300 boys).

Working as the only reference librarian and resource at the Roxbury Latin School, I need to stay up to date on current events, politics, history, science, pop culture, sports and current fiction. I have gotten into the habit of dragging home current issues of magazines, newspapers and hard cover fiction and non-fiction. My enthusiasm is always way more than my capability. I find myself lugging it all back and forth, reading little, and grumbling a lot. So (subconsciously I think) I started looking at alternative reading options. I have found some new technologies quite helpful in helping me overcome the challenges I face nightly in meeting my reading goals. They are flexible, easy, and convenient. Yet, they come at a price, and can be expensive.

Audio books  Audible, (www.audible.com) a subsidiary of Amazon, is a leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, available on the Internet. I have started listening to audio books through this internet subscription. Many people already listen to books on tape (checking them out of the library or buying them at a bookstore). Initially, I wasn’t all that interested in books on tape. A few years ago I somewhat reluctantly tried this auditory approach by borrowing other people’s books on tape. What is different and cool about this online subscription service is I can download a book from my audible account onto my desktop at work, my desktop at home, my laptop or onto an Apple iPhone. Yes, I can listen to an audio book through my phone. I listen either with ear buds or directly from the speaker – perhaps when driving in the car, taking a walk, at the gym, at the airport, in the doctors’ office, etc. Just like an iPod or the old fashioned Discman – remember those? I am currently listening to The Appeal by John Grisham on my desktop at school (with headphones). This is what I term a light read and it can be listened to in conjunction with reading my mail, cleaning off my desk, etc. On the iPhone I am listening to Hot, Flat and Crowded, Thomas Freidman’s newest book. This book is fantastic – in fact if we were to have an all-school read – I would highly recommend this title.

Wireless Reading Device  But the newest technology gadget I have acquired is the Amazon Kindlehttp://www.amazon.com/Kindle an advanced wireless reading device. Again, I kind of went kicking and screaming into this latest format. My beloved book replaced by a journal sized portable electronic reading device? I don’t think so. But I gave it a try and I have to say – somewhat reluctantly – I really like it. E-books read on electronic reading devices are definitely missing the tactical relationship between reader and the printed book. There is an unmatched quality of the physical book that an e-book can't compete with such as the satisfaction of turning a page in a book and seeing the progression of your reading. E-books should not replace the physical book, but should be in addition to the physical book. There is talk in the library community (especially school libraries) that we need to reinvent ourselves. And technology is helping us do just that. The Kindle works like this: you create an account with Amazon and you can download books, magazines, newspapers or blogs through  their wireless delivery system, Whispernet. All books are $9.99 per book; you can buy a subscription to a magazine, or just get one issue (for example the Boston Globe is 49 cents an issue). And one of the greatest “free” features is you can download a sample chapter from any book directly to your Kindle. I am currently reading Alfred and Emily by Doris Lessing a fiction best seller on my Kindle. But the first book I read on my Kindle was The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. This story was so well written, deep and visceral that once I was imbedded in the story it really didn’t matter how I was reading it. In fact at one point instead of clicking on the next page button, I went to try and actually turn the page - that is how engrossed I was in the story. I guess I must thank David Wroblewski for helping me fall in love with the Kindle technology.

Printed books  And lest you think I have stopped reading from a prehistoric printed hard-cover, I have just finished Almost Moon by Alice Sebold and I am presently reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s short stories, Unaccustomed Earth and An Exact Replica of a Figment of my Imagination a memoir by Elizabeth McCracken.

I recently had a discussion with Roxbury Latin School Learning Specialist Noel Foy about the many ways students and adults read, comprehend, study, and absorb information. We have concluded that whether readers access information by an auditory or visual mode, as long as they understand what they are reading – the format should only matter in it being a successful and positive reading experience.  Reading in four different formats makes one wonder – how many more technologies are down the road.

Lynn Grilli is Librarian/Archivist at The Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury, MA