From an Arizona Daily Star Article:
The popularity of the electronic gadgets does not appear to be the death knell, but rather a complement to for paper-and-ink books.
The book festival is “the chance to remind people that the book is not yet dead,” said David Laird, former head of libraries at the University of Arizona and an online rare book dealer.
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The electronic devices are an advantage for academics, Laird said, noting a person working on a dissertation is able to download the needed reference materials and work on the paper at any time.