Well I spent most of the morning warming my hands on hot porridge and warm milo whilst catching up with others #blogjune posts that I haven't left much time to put my post together. 2.2'C this morning when I woke up - just in case you were wondering - and yes I hate the cold!!
So yesterday I ended up taking the girls down the park. I purchased the Telegraph (apparently I'm not a paper snob, if I were I'd read SMH). Then while the girls were happily playing I devoured the papers contents whilst basking in the sun. There is nothing I love better than reading the Sunday paper.
That brings me to the move of newspapers from print to digital. Currently, the Coffs Coast Advocate has two print editions per week (these are free to residents) and the rest is online. This year they decided instead of having a print edition 6 times a week they would move online and just keep the 2 print editions.
While this is ok, I find the online edition limited in news. Perhaps this is why they made the move online, because there wasn't much news to report. I also find it difficult for those that do not have access to a computer - yes there are still some people out there - who can't access the news. Or if I was catching an early flight from Coffs to Sydney, I can't read the paper on the plane!!
Bellingen also has a local paper but it is only printed once a week and is also provided free to residents. They also have an online prescence. However, their online prescence isn't updated that frequently. So you really only get a repeat of what will be printed.
Now I will be absolutely devastated if my Sunday paper becomes only available online. I don't want to have to subscribe to it and access it via my tablet. I don't want to bring my tablet down to the beach to get sand in it. And what if my hubby wants to read the TV Guide while I read the other bits of the paper - how do you divide up a digital copy? He doesn't have a tablet so we can't get two subscriptions.
Now moving to a library point of view. Prior to me working in my libraries they did not purchase any daily newspapers. They received the free newspapers but once I started I said we should get at least a daily major newspaper. So we purchase the SMH daily. We keep it for a week and then dispose of it. I was told the SMH is a more reputable newspaper then the Daily Telegraph - I really can't comment.
Daily we have at least 10 people that come into our libraries to read the newspaper. Now if we went digital - would we then have to purchase a subscription for each public computer? Would the person who usually comes in and spreads themselves comfortably on the lounge now have to prebook a computer to sit ergonomically sound and read the paper at a computer?
While back issues of the newspaper can already be accessed via our electronic resources. There are no pictures and the electronic edition doesn't follow the print layout - some people have real problems with this. My hubby is one to complain if they move the horoscopes to a different page. So really very rarely does anyone wish to sit down and read the paper using databases such as ANZ Reference Centre.
I do realise that the online edition that many newspapers are aiming for is really just like the print one with the same layout and being able to turn pages etc - if access on a mobile device - but what about those that don't have a mobile device? How will they access it?
Anyway, I'm sure there are some people very excited about newspapers moving to online editions but I'm not one of them.
Well perhaps if I see one in action and the subscription is affordable, I may get used to reading on my tablet but please don't take the Sunday print edition from me!!!
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