We here at DePaul University Library try our best to adapt to the latest trends in technology. Patrons can have call numbers texted to their phones, chat with librarians via instant message, follow us on twitter, read e-books and e-journals on any number of web-enabled devices or read our blog, as you are doing now. Still, most of the staff here are unabashed bibliophiles who maintain there is still a place for the printed word in the digital age. In his recent book, The Case for Books: Past, Present, and Future, Harvard University Library Director and noted historian Robert Darnton offers support for this argument. By examining the role of books throughout history, Darnton argues that the book has survived despite numerous disruptive innovations and that the Internet poses no serious threat to its future. Let’s hope he’s right. (Lincoln Park Library, 002.09 D223C)
While debating the merits of books in the digital age, it’s worth questioning what effect modern technology has on our mental capabilities. For instance, many claim that the Internet has had a negative impact on human attention spans. While writing this, I have had no less than eight active tabs open on my web browser, I’ve read and responded to three emails, and I accepted one Outlook appointment…what was I saying? Oh right, technology and attention spans. According to Nicholas Carr’s new book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains, our increasing connectivity to the Internet has significant neurological consequences. If you’re interested, read through Carr’s argument and see if you agree; that is, if you can concentrate long enough…(Lincoln Park Library, 612.80285C311S)
Then again, why should you trust what these guys have to say? Who made Robert Darnton and Nicholas Carr the leading authorities on books, technology and the brain? That’s the question David Freedman explores in Wrong: Why Experts* Keep Failing Us—And How to Know When Not to Trust Them. Freedman explains how flawed information is often presented and accepted as truth, simply because it comes from “experts.” He then offers tips on how not to be misled (for those who choose to trust him). (Lincoln Park Library, 001 F8536W)
To see if any of our other new books sound good, check out the displays at the Lincoln Park or Loop Libraries.