Bookstores, libraries, and kindles... OH MY

with all the talk about borders closing, not to mention the rise in the kindle population, I wanted to chip in on the conversation.

first let me state that I personally love physical books, I love reading them, and to some people's dismal concerns I also like writing my observations in them when I do study them.    however, I've never been able to afford books unless they were the cheapest of amazon used.     as a result I've usually taken out library copies and written my notes in little scraps of paper or post it notes that I stick in between pages.    

at first, I was against kindle.  I thought it was a great alternative to reading on a computer which sucks, lets face it.    I, like a lot of people I know, was afraid that it would diminish the physical book population, rendering it obsolete.    well, if you look at the evolution of e-mail and the staggering existence of post offices and snail mail, we might say that this is a process that takes a while.    none the less, I was "too cool" for it...

now my lifestyle is changing though.   I don't live in a house with room for bookshelves of heavy paper.   in fact,  I usually have to move from year to year due to my physical instability while attending college.   with my parents also travelling around, I don't have a  "home base"  as some may call it.     and ultimately, I would like to see myself try to live more of a nomadic lifestyle anyway.    how can I do that with all the stuff that we (as people)  tend to collect?  

that's where I give kindle a thumbs up.   I could have most of my book collection, if not eventually all of it, in one device that I could easily move, rather than boxes and suitcases of books.    here's the tricky part though:  even though i may not want to lug around these treasures,  I don't want their sweet artistic form to be forgotten.    

here's my idea:  bookstores closing?  So be it!  they're too expensive anyway.   what about our libraries though?    our libraries provide free access to so many people who probably can't afford books like me, and may not even be able to afford school, etc.     Sadly though, my local library branch has been closed for about two weeks due to budget cuts....   hell they'll probably close down like Borders soon too!    This should not happen.    I would be much happier to see the ending of bookstore's existence in favor of the library's.    books can be bought online, the library could even sell books on the side if it came down to it.     the library should be there to provide literature and education to the community as a whole though.    consequentially, it would also serve as a shrine or a sanctuary if you will to books in the true physical form.  

in short, every person can have their kindle.     physical books will not go extinct though if we can provide a way for libraries to live strong and serve as a home for these seeming commodities.   that way, whenever you  are studying at the library or just feeling nostalgic- you can leave your kindle charging at home and walk to your library to read or check out a few "real' books.  

I'm going to finish my coffee...