Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Encyclopaedia Britannica Ends Print Edition

Image credit: WikiMedia Commons


Some news makes you feel older than others. I remember using our set of Encyclopaedia Britannica for research papers in school. Libraries still have copies of them; though I wonder when the last time is one has been cracked open.

Today it was announced that Encyclopaedia Britannica is halting the sale of its print edition after 244 years and moving to solely online content.

Is this a surprising move?

No, but it just one more thing that shows we're becoming a digital world. It also indicates the publishing world continues to change at the speed of light.

Do I think paperbacks and hardcovers will go the way of the dinosaur?

Not anytime soon. Three or four generations down the road maybe, but right now printed books are still a necessary commodity.

When's the last time you perfomed research using a printed encyclopedia? Do your children rely solely on online content for research? Will this latest move make libraries seem obsolete?

2 comments:

brokenteepee said...

The hubby and I were talking about this last night; he had Britannicas I had Colliers growing up. I can understand why it's happening. Google is so darn easy

Cellophane Queen said...

Stunning news. This is a wake-up call to mainstream publishers. Wave bye-bye to your print books in the reference categories. Soon, fiction will follow. I would have thought it the other way around.