Have encyclopedias gone extinct? What I mean is, do newly graduated high school students even know what they are, or use them at all? With the prevalence of online databases, and knowledge-bases, it seems unlikely any modern students ever use encyclopedias. If so, then that makes me sad. Some of my favorite memories are reading through multiple chapters of encyclopedia information. I love them, and still do ... however, I don't own a set either.
What made these massive tomes so wonderful? They included articles on virtually every subject, with scholarly insight and wonderful detail. I learned about the world, without setting foot outside the library. Wikipedia serves somewhat the same function, albeit to a much greater degree, however it lacks the intimacy of holding a book in your hands and flipping through until something catches your eye. Actually, that's the same reason I miss bookstores--because I can't walk through the aisles and discover new authors.
Finding new information is incredibly easy these days, but you also need to know what you're seeking. Oddly, it's harder to simply peruse and happen upon things that are interesting but unexpected. Sure, there's the "Surprise me" buttons on Google and Wikipedia, but it's not the same. There's no spontaneity to it, just randomness. Still, it's the world we live in now and I doubt it'll change. Perhaps there's still time for me to buy a set of encyclopedias ...
- M
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