When I heard this story on NPR my impulse was to go and immediately order a set of the last print edition of Encyclopedia Britannica; many folks had the same idea. I thought better of it, and we’ll keep our sub-par set of Grolier Encylcopedias from the early ’90s. It’s kind of sad though. I find myself, too often, explaining to people in their twenties how to use an index.
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And lastly, some clarification of who is at fault for the lack of a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction this time around. I feel terrible for the nominees, not to mention Maureen Corrgian, Susan Larson, and Michael Cunningham, who did all the footwork.
Here’s a doubting Thomas perspective re Britannica. I am, of course, firmly on the middle of this debate. 🙂 http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/03/the_encyclopedia_britannica_was_expensive_useless_and_exploitative_i_m_glad_it_s_gone_.html
Interesting article–I get that point of view. For me, this is all about nostalgia. Nostalgia for having to flip through the pages of an encyclopedia in elementary school for a report, and then stumbling across something else fascinating. Nostalgia for having to later sit in the reference section of a library with a stack of index cards and coins for the copier.