Are Encyclopedias Extinct In The Digital Age?

When I was about eleven or twelve years old, a group of us stopped our heated debate over which Beatle was the most adorable (my favorite was Ringo, of course) and moved on to the more cerebral topic of books. The question arose: “If you were stranded alone on a desert island and could only take one book, which one would you choose?”

We looked at each other sheepishly and murmured, “The Bible.” “Yeah, The Bible.” “Oh, yeah. Sure. The Bible.” You see, we all went to same Baptist Sunday school and were convinced we would go straight to the Devil if we didn’t give The Good Book as the answer.

Finally a bold free-thinker among us, who I think was a Presbyterian, said, “OK, if you could take two books.”

With relief, we began to name our favorites. One girl mentioned a book about Nancy Drew (to which we all said, “Eeeew!”). Another declared Edgar Allen Poe short stories to be her choice. One thought Treasure Island seemed appropriate.

But, I chirped up and said, “I’d take the letter ‘M’ with me.”

“Do whut?” they asked, with some suspicion.

“The Encyclopdia,” I answered. “The letter ‘M’ is the biggest, so it would have the most to read.”

I was a dork even back then. But, oh, I loved my encyclopedias! Sure, the reading is dry. It’s not great prose. But, there were new wonders on every stinkin’ page.

Do y’all remember encyclopedias?
Did you ever sit down and just read them?

I did. I couldn’t count how many hours I spent just curled up on the couch flipping the pages and devouring every word. We had several different sets, and I read them from cover to cover. Some days, I just enjoyed looking at pictures of critters and places that astounded the mind of a small town Texas girl. They were things I would probably never see in my lifetime.

In fact, the encyclopedias were my books of choice (other than National Geographic Magazine … where we looked for picture of nekkid people) until I got into High School. At that point, the encyclopedia became a tool for writing the heinous term paper. Once it became required to read it, the books no longer held any fascination for me … in fact, I avoided them like the plague for years. Eventually I grew out of that phase.

Even though I don’t own a set of them today, I still adore them. I wondered if those books filled with wonders still get any use in this Digital Age. So, I asked a group of teenagers at a High School if they had ever read the encyclopedia. They looked at me as if I had started speaking in tongues. I said, “You do know what an encyclopedia is, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” they answered, “the librarian showed them to us.”

I was gratified to hear that, but I said, “Don’t y’all use them when you write a term paper?” They laughed their heads right off, “Naaah! We use the internet!”

I was saddened to hear that, for two different reasons:

1. I hate to see those beautiful encyclopedias go to waste (and think of all the out-of-work encyclopedia salesmen!). I know the kids can look at on-line encyclopedias, but it isn’t the same thrill as just turning the pages to see what’s around the next corner.
2. I worry that they might mistake “titillation” for “information.” There is a lot of misinformation on the internet. How are kids supposed to know that their “sources” are accurate?

So, I’m curious. Tell me, do you own a set of encyclopedias? Do they get use, or are they just gathering dust? Have you taught your children to use them? And, am I the only kid in America who used to just sit and peruse the encyclopedia?

Related posts:

1. Bookmarking
2. Titillation Part Two
3. Bibliophile or Bibliomaniac?
4. City of Ember Sparks The Imagination
5. The Librarian Is Your Friend

Tagged as: books, Memories, Words