I’m really glad that a few large brick-and-mortar bookstores such as Barnes and Noble are still around.
Where else can you lose yourself for a couple of hours while browsing through shelves of really interesting discounted books? Anything you could ever possibly hope to learn can be found somewhere in these stacks: historical facts, animal trivia, philosophy, psychology, spirituality, health and fitness, really useless but cocktail party-handy data, and so forth–at a bargain! I’ve picked up some of my favorite books by spontaneously seeing what happened to be sitting in a pile or on a shelf with a sticker of less than $8. One was 50 Books You Should Have Read (But Probably Didn’t), which inspired me to read several of the 50!
I’m also really glad that brick-and-mortar libraries are still around. A thrifty guy, I’m quite reluctant to plop down even a few bucks for a book if I think I can get borrow it from the government for a few weeks. Technology makes it quick and easy to find out if a book you’re tempted to buy is sitting across town for free, without ever leaving the bookstore. Of course, there are some books I simply have to highlight and, therefore, must own..
…which brings me full circle to admitting that I’m especially glad for e-books. Not just because of my reading pleasure, ease of electronic highlighting with cloud storage and reasonable cost, but because this technology has made it possible for me to publish my own material.
I want all three to stick around, however: bookstores, libraries and e-publishing. I love having so many learning options, and I haven’t even’t mentioned the Internet. (I guess I just mentioned it.)
How are you personally making the most out of a global village heavy-loaded with learning options and content that seems to double every minute? That’s a coaching question for you to ponder this weekend.
