Opinion: Digital readers, online research and Shabbos clocks

by Michael J. Salamon

Issue of January 22, 2010/ 7 Shvat 5770

The Jewish people have been referred to as the people of the Book not just because of their dedication to Torah study but for other reasons as well. It has often been reported that Israel publishes more books per capita than virtually every other nation. Book publishing and the high literacy rate among Jews are often cited as reasons for the growth of technology in Israel and the large number of Jewish Nobel Prize winners. Yet, the publishing world in general is changing and it is no longer considered a growth industry. Except for some limited areas and topics, book sales are flat at best. There are important new trends taking place in book publishing, however. The Hachette group, for example, has a wildly selling series of fiction on the topic of vampires. They recently announced an initiative to use more recycled paper, to help conserve as many as 275,000 trees.

Amazon.com, which now owns and markets the Kindle digital reader, does not announce exact sales figures for this relatively new device but there are strong market indicators that sales are higher than anticipated. Sony has introduced a new digital reader similar to the Kindle. Sales are not as high as the Kindle but the growth of its market share seems to be a given. Many people received one of these devices last month as a Chanukah gift. And why not? You can download an entire text, including Hebrew, on to one of these readers in just a few seconds for as little as one third the cost of purchasing an actual book and there is no worry about killing trees or storing books or filling large bookshelves that take over a room.

During my graduate years I was trained to do in depth research and library research was included in that. There was something special about going to the stacks to search out rare references, finding the appropriate microfiche and collecting the information. The University library had rare books, old journals and stacks of information that could take hours to get through, even with the aid of a librarian or two. I know that I am dating myself but I miss that just a little. When I need to do this type of detailed archival research now, I do it digitally. I have been working on a research paper for a professional journal and need some highly specialized references. In just a few minutes online I can access the University library and all the affiliated libraries, and for a small yearly fee I have access to Journals, books, research and position papers and dissertations going back, in some cases, over 70 years. Google.com is attempting to put all books online and even now there are many that can be accessed.

This kind of technological change is not limited to secular and research articles and books. Many scholarly works are widely available digitally for free or at reasonable prices. I do Daf Yomi online most days and my cell phone has a complete Siddur, Tehillim and Mishnayot with Bartenura loaded on it. The cost for all of this was a total of less than five dollars. The creators of Kindle and Sony Reader are using this growing technology to reframe our existence and, in many ways, these changes, like all technological advances, offer positive enhancements. There is conservation, the ability to load an entire library including rare texts, for significantly less money into one small device. The difference is not just analogous to the savings from a hard cover to a soft cover book, but from many thousands of hard cover books to one soft cover trade book-sized device. If I sound excited it is because I am and I do not even have one of these new devices yet. I am waiting for the next generation device, which will likely have a foldable screen and fit easily in my pocket, and have a larger choice of crisper fonts, so that I do not have to wear my reading glasses.

There are also negative aspects to all technological advances. In an article in The Atlantic in 2008 writer Nicholas Carr made a strong case that the use of the Internet, particularly Google-type search engines, is making us stupid. What he is really suggesting is true and that is that this new technology is causing us to view symbols, particularly the symbols we use to read and reason with, in new ways, which may be “dumbing us down.” The actual activity of doing archival research caused our brains to create new neural pathways. This no longer happen when the same material can be accessed online with a few keystrokes. This activity is isolating. The social environment becomes increasingly restricted if we use our keyboards, smart phones and readers to find our way in the world. But the technology is here and we will adapt, just like the world adapted to electricity and motorized vehicles.

There is one additional area that I wonder about. When all books are available on line or in reader formats the technology will come up hard against Halacha. Will we find a way to use a “Shabbos clock” to activate our Kindles or will we have to download everything in advance for days when such devices are off limits? I can't wait to see.

Dr. Michael Salamon, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is the founder and director of the ADC Psychological Services in Hewlett, NY. His recent books include Every Pot Has a Cover: A Proven Guide to Finding, Keeping and Enhancing the Ideal Relationship, published by Rowman & Littlefield.