Margaret Esther Research Paper

Research Results When asked how she would respond if someone told her the book was dead, Margaret Esther simply leaned over and said, “Sweetie, they have been saying that for about 20 years”. It was clear when interviewing Ms. Esther that she believed that the book was going nowhere. Being in her late 60’s she stated that “she has always been a huge reader, despite the ongoing growth of technology”. Since overcoming the struggle of gaining access to Overdrive, an E-book sharing company, the Santa Barbara Library has begun to have people access more electronic books. Since having electronic books in circulation, they have seen E-books spike up to about 12% of the libraries circulation. Technology is an important facet in today’s society which is why she believes things like “learn-to-read games and LeapFrog” have started to be used more frequently. Though she doesn’t believe that technology is going to nullify print media, she states that she believes if used right, technology and print media can be used “intertwined in a wonderful romance”. After asking Jody Thomas the same questions as Margaret Esther, she stated that

Due to this common thread, all of the librarians were able to explain how they have begun to incorporate different technologies into their services. Both in the Santa Barbara libraries and in the Westmont Library, the librarians shared that one of their duties is to make libraries more technology-friends, so to speak. Though there is much to variation between the three librarians (age, titles, and library), it would have been beneficial to add in someone who is a firm believer that E-books are superior to printed books. However, after no reply from directors of companies such as OverDrive and ebooks.com, I found that in every interview conducted there was no one who preferred an E-book versus a printed