That question has been on my mind lately. In late August, I am going to Europe for a couple of weeks to visit friends and family. For the first week or so of the trip I will be traveling alone. I plan to fly with Ryan Air (an airline known for their cheap ticket prices. The cheap ticket prices mean that other travel luxuries (such as checked luggage) are not an option…unless you want to pay extra) and therefore I plan to only take a carry-on bag. When I travel I usually take many books with me because I know that I will have a lot of waiting ahead of me (waiting for the plane to take off, waiting to get to the next destination, layovers, etc.) and for me, waiting is most bearable when I have something to do. I prefer to read in these situations to keep myself occupied, and also to keep myself company. I feel less alone, somehow, when I’m immersed in another world, even if it is fictional.
Anyway, considering that I’ll be gone for several days and will need more than one change of clothes, I can’t afford to take heavy books with me (especially because I plan to be reading Infinite Jest this summer, which might count as a second carry-on). However, I could purchase a Kindle Fire, buy the e-book of Infinite Jest and ensure that I use the last couple of weeks of summer to read complete the challenge. With the Kindle Fire, I could also bring other books, a couple of movies, and magazines (not to mention the option to go online).
It sounded like a no-brainer at first. The Kindle Fire is portable and can store thousands of books and other forms of entertainment. Theoretically, if I could pick up a wi-fi signal in a cafe or airport, I could blog during layovers or while waiting for friends. But I’m hesitant about the purchase for a few reasons. Here are my personal pros and cons to buying a Kindle Fire.
Pro #1: The Kindle Fire can store many many many more books than I can carry with me. I could make some major progress on my TBR pile.
Pro #2: Wi-fi means I would have the ability to blog while waiting for various forms of transportation. I could also access facebook, and considering that I won’t have my cell phone with me, it would be nice to have some way to contact the people I’m supposed to be meeting.
Pro #3: Thinking in the long term, owning a Kindle Fire would allow me to become much more familiar with the device. Many patrons come in the library each week with questions, and it would be nice to know the answers instead of having to ask another librarian or Google.
Con #1: Although I think that the device is affordable ($199) it would be coming out of my trip budget, and it may just be an extra expense that isn’t necessary. I’m the kind of person who thoroughly considers big purchases (if you couldn’t already tell) and I wouldn’t want to regret buying it.
Con #2: In addition to my passport, other ID, money, and camera, it would be one more important thing to keep track of on the trip.
Con #3: Thinking in the long term, I’m a person who reads library books, almost exclusively. I’m around books all day and I always wind up taking a few home with me. I try to avoid buying books, and by the same token I would try to avoid buying e-books. I could take advantage of the download library, but I have heard about the epic waiting lists for popular titles, so I’m not sure that it would be a main source of reading material for me. Would I use the Kindle Fire enough to make it worth my while?
As you can see, there are three jelly beans on each side of the scale (Boy Meets World, anyone?) So, here’s where you come in. If you have a Kindle Fire (or an opinion about them) what do you think are the pros and cons? Please leave your advice in the comments 
I will probably be blogging about my trip as it draws near (or, at the very least, I plan to post pictures while I’m traveling). For future reference, I will refer to my upcoming vacation as the:
Amazing Western European Sojourn Of Mythic Experiences!
We want to hear what you think!
As I’ve discussed in recent posts, libraries are forced to reevaluate their purpose in these changing times. It is no longer enough to house books and information because with the help of the Internet, people are able to access that information from home. I have noticed some patrons who used to be regulars have stopped coming to the library. When they do occasionally stop by, it’s to ask about the download library. Some of them apologize and explain “I have a Kindle now.” I can understand that it is much more convenient to download a book to your Kindle from the comfort of your own home than to travel to the library and check out a book (assuming that the book is available). But for me, libraries have so much more to offer than reading material. This is where the term “participatory culture” comes in.
More and more libraries are taking part in participatory culture. What does this mean, exactly? It means that libraries recognize that their patrons should play an active role in the library. People are not merely “vessels to be filled with a body of knowledge” as Cadwell would say. Learning isn’t just memorizing what someone else has told you. It’s a process that involves the creation as well as the consumption of content.
Participatory culture can take many forms in libraries. Libraries are providing their patrons with makerspaces, 3-D printers, and state of the art computer labs to enable them to create art that is sometimes added to the collection. This is wonderful, but it is also expensive and time consuming to start these types of programs. I think participatory culture can come in many forms, and even basic programs or displays can go a long way to create this kind of atmosphere at the library.
Here are three examples of simple ways we encourage participatory culture at the Ellsworth Public Library:
1. Patron Picks
This new display (which was a patron’s idea) lets people highlight their book recommendations.
2. Comment Cards
We include a comment card in the back of all new fiction books. Patrons are encouraged to rate the book (on a scale of 1-5) and write their comments.
3. Name the mascot
The library now has a mascot, but it needs a name. Instead of choosing the name, we are asking our patrons to vote!
How does your library encourage patron participation? Do you think that input from patrons is vital to the library experience? I would love to hear what you think in the comments.
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Tagged as Amazon Kindle, book recommendations, Books, cadwell, comment cards, Ellsworth Public Library, Libraries, Library, Library and Information Science, Participatory culture, Patronage, Public library