Goodbye Printed Word?

If you've noticed lately, many popular magazines are getting thinner and thinner. And no, it isn't because this is a slow news time of year. The Washington Post recently announced that Feb. 15th would be the last print version of "Book World", its Sunday stand-alone book review section. After Feb 15th, book reviews will be found in space inside two other sections of the paper.

Book World was one of the last remaining stand-alone book review sections in the country, along with The New York Times Book Review. The Post’s move comes as the company, like most other newspaper businesses across the country, has been hobbled by a protracted downturn in advertising.

On the heels of that announcement came the announcement from U.S. News & World Report that it would go to a monthly publication with a theme to each issue. Over the past year, the library staff has watched it go from a weekly to bi-monthly to monthly publication. U.S. News cites growth in it's companion digital site as justification for downsizing the rate of publication for the print version.

In March, U.S. News will have a weekly electronic publication available at no extra charge to it's subscribers. Additionally, it is doubling the length of time left on subscriptions.

Here in the library we will establish a link to this online print version. Stay tuned for details about accessing the publication in this manner. Given the nature of our economy and the increased online use of computers by consumers, my guess is that we are likely to see similar responses by other publishers.