Goodbye Borders! You Will Be Missed!

Borders bookstore has officially announced its demise. The writing has been on the wall for a while now, but I’d been hoping things would somehow work out and my favorite bookstore chain would survive. I love Borders. I always have. Barnes and Noble is cool, but to me Borders always had a different vibe. And they gave fantastic events! Though I appreciate what the advances in technology have contributed to our lives, nothing and no thing can serve as a substitute for an experience. No Kindle, Nook, or iPad can replace or replicate the feeling of going to the book store to browse, buy or meet friends. And no digital device can compare to the tactile enjoyment of reading a book or magazine.

I ran into a friend of mine on my last pilgrimage to Borders and we talked about how times are changing and neither of us could quite get our heads around it. My friend said, “Where we gonna get our books?” I said, “From Barnes and Noble I guess.” He said, “Yeah, for the next two weeks!” And there has been talk of whether or not Barnes and Noble is next. I hope it hangs on because I for one do not want to give into this technological disintegration of our society as we know it. I think technology has already played a big part in depersonalizing the human experience.

People text, tweet and Facebook, but are they really connecting? Usually not. And going to a site to purchase a book is not the same as perusing aisles of books, looking for a new selection or finding your favorite author. Buying online is not the same as holding a book, taking in the cover and flipping through a few pages to see if you become instantly engaged. And that is the human aspect of going to a bookstore, engagement.

And what about our libraries? What does this “Amazon age” of literary consumerism mean for libraries? Libraries in New York are already feeling the pinch of budget cuts. So if the literary world goes completely digital how will this further impact our libraries? And where will I get my journals? I’m a notebook geek and Borders had ones I really liked! (Sigh)

Well I did manage to get a couple of things from my last trip to one of my (former) favorite places on earth.

I decided to get this last copy of Stevie Wonder's greatest hits. When I got home I immediately started listening to “I was Made to Love Her” and “For Once in My Life”. Love those songs! I’m about to make a mean “throwback” mix!

My last trip to Borders was sad as it not only marks the end of an era and the beginning of a disturbing trend, it also means many people will soon be losing their jobs. A technological takeover coupled with affects of a troubled economy makes the whole circumstance of Borders closing even more somber.

For those of us who still love the excursion to the bookstore and all it entails, whether it be a trip into creative thought, a discovery of new knowledge or just simple, personal quality time, let’s hold on to and support the remaining outlets that fuel our need for more than what a device can offer.

How do you feel about Borders closing and the implications this has on the bookstore industry at large?