Literature Through the Ages

I really enjoy visiting the MASC; I went with Dr. Campbell's 481 class last year, and recently with my Art History class.  Seeing the texts they pull for us is always really interesting, and I think it's really cool that the university has these extensive collections.  It can be hard to wrap your mind around the fact that the book your looking at is hundreds of years old.  When I visited with my Art History class, we got to see a Papal Bull from the 1200's, which was completely unreal.  The kinds of texts that were in circulation over the years, and how they have evolved is fascinating to think about, and it helps to paint a better picture of what life was like for people in those times.  It makes me wonder whether or not future generations will move totally into the digital arena, reading on Kindles, iPads or other devices.  Will the books we read now someday seem ancient and obsolete?  I would say no, on one hand because that idea kind of depresses me, but also because I think that there will always be a sense of romance and attachment to physical books.  Personally, I own a Kindle, but I find myself repeatedly going back to the printed word.  In a class environment, it's just more practical with flipping through pages quickly to get to specific passages.  I think that books will be sticking around for a while - not only would the task of digitizing be a monstrous undertaking, but honestly, who doesn't love that New Book Smell?