I don’t think there is anyone else in the world with the same name as me. That isn’t true of Steve Lawson (bassist), who posted a tweet earlier today that put me onto an interesting post by Steve Lawson (librarian) about libraries and eBooks.

I have been a fan of libraries for years and, since getting a Kindle to provide a handy interface, have been appreciating eBooks too. Libraries are under threat in many places at the moment as apparently myopic bureaucrats consider whether they can make some short-term savings by shutting services down. Can it be that they are truly educated but never have felt the magic of entering a library?

Libraries also face a threat from new technologies which means the printed word no longer encompasses the written word and is likely to recede further in the future. The other group under threat from this are traditional publishers; I like the way Lawson (and Jastram) propose avoiding library access to eBooks being linked in with the precarious fates of the publishers.