Books are not going away. My kids devour books just like I did when I was a kid. Books can be lent, gifted, borrowed. Books can be discovered in physical places, in the school library, the public library, in a bookstore.
Ebooks just aren't the same.
Ebooks just aren't the same.
Some will, I'm sure, the way that some people born after CDs and digital music collect vinyl. But personally I'd guess it'll be a similarly niche interest, just another collector's hobby.
Each of the kids got their ereader when they were 6-7 years old. Now:
- 13-year-old mostly reads sports news on his phone
- 11-year-old mostly reads paper books, occasionally ebooks on his phone
- 9-year-old can't find her ereader, reads tons of paper books
- 6-year-old just got her ereader and is devouring books on it (which is always the reaction when they first get it)
If I see a book I already own that I love, then I buy another copy. Then I can give it away later to someone who I think will appreciate it.
I try not to lend out my favorite books because it is too much trouble to track where they went. Although most people mean well, books don't always boomerang.