Decline in book readership may be influenced by reading so much on the internet; a couple of obvious ways: first, you can only do so much reading, and second, you get used to getting your information in smaller chunks.

I read a lot and would much rather read than watch TV. But often I'd rather surf than read (and we watch TV with laptops on our laps). For a lot of us I think blue has it right. There is so much to read on the internet it's like having the Library of Congress at hand - even if the bulk of my reading is blogs. The weather, a definition, spelling, info about a movie or given TV episode, illnesses, bizarre poisons mentioned on N.C.I.S. - I have Google at hand for all those and hundreds more.

I'd like to say nothing will ever replace the pleasure and realness of a hardcover or paperback, but I suspect I'd be wrong. At this point, if I had to give up books or the internet, it would be books in a second. :-(

BTW, nice site and great, easy registration process!

Well, it seems like its true. As a librarian, one of the most frustrating things is having this wealth of rich information available and convincing people that it's worth their time to read it. The internet has made instant access to mountains of information the standard. If libraries, authors, publishers, book sellers really, really want to capture the attention of the reading masses, they're going to have to meet the public where they are, in their living room with a tv screen and a computer monitor (sometimes, one in the same). Nintendo is quietly branching into using their DS as an eReader, and new sites are constantly emerging with online content. Unfortunately, a lot of it is expensive and, frankly, hard to find, unless you spend a lot of time looking. This is where the libraries need to really step up and work not only to maintain and offer physical collections, but virtual collections. Larger libraries, with larger budgets, are already heading in this direction, but smaller ones are struggling.

That, of course, addresses the reading public. The fact that 21% of Americans are functionally illiterate is sadly not surprising. Try explaining the digital TV transition or economic stimulus payments or how to apply for unemployment benefits or what the difference between email and homepage are to someone who is 50 years old and has a 2nd grade reading level. I'm glad they still come in, but it can be pretty overwhelming when you have to pack 30 years of education into a 15 minute conversation.