From: Lloyd A Davidson <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2013 01:40:59 +0000

I've dropped print subscriptions to a number of publications and
consequently I find I have begun reading most of these less
frequently, e.g. Nature (for which I depend on my university's
subscription, which is cumbersome to get to) and The Nation.   For
those like the NYT or New Scientist, that I subscribe to both
digitally and in print, I still much prefer the print edition, if only
because it's much easier to browse through.  If the online NYT were a
perfect facsimile of the paper edition, that might make it more
appealing but they obviously can't achieve that on small computer
screens and I find it very difficult to browse either current or back
issues of New Scientist (now an Elsevier publication) online.

Receiving a print copy of a magazine provides a tangible reminder to
read, or at least browse, each issue.  Also, it's simply more fun to
get a copy in the mail than it is to get an email announcement. An
email notice of a digital edition is easily overlooked and much less
immediate in its demand for my attention as it's competing with all my
other email messages, which include other publication announcements as
well.   When I stopped getting Sigma Xi’s American Scientist in print,
I found I virtually stopped reading it at all and I’m not even sure
whether I’m even still a member.  Similarly with Technology Review.

I also find I give less money to organizations that don't provide me
with a print reminder of their existence, unless I give automatically
on a scheduled basis. In addition, browsing paper publications leads
to more serendipitous discoveries of items I'd never think to search
for otherwise and complex illustrations usually don't lend themselves
well to small screens like the IPad, especially if you are trying
simultaneously to read the print that's linked to the figures.

I can't live without the Internet but I still prefer the immediacy and
convenience of print, which I can stick in my pocket or back pack and
read on the bus when I have a few minutes of free time, without
worrying about running down my battery in the process.   When I’m
biking home each day, I nearly always stop and browse our city’s
excellent newsstand to pick up any publications of merely occasional
interest that I don’t subscribe to, e.g. book review publications with
a review of a book I happen to be particularly interested in at the
moment.

In addition, I much prefer having my paper-based book fall on the
floor when I fall asleep, as frequently happens, than having that same
experience with my IPad or other digital reader.

There’s still a place for print and I suspect a complete
transformation from print to digital is still many years in the
future.


-----Original Message-----
From: Joseph Esposito <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2013 11:36:31 -0400

Dropping print on the library side is one thing, dropping it on the
publishing side is something else.  It makes perfect economic sense
for publishers to drop print, and then they do and regret it.  This is
because, for some unknown reason, dropping print often results in more
cancellations of society memberships.  Makes no sense, right?

Joe Esposito