![]() Mid-1700s: Edinburgh was a cradle of learning - home to novelist Sir Walter Scott, poet Robert Burns and diarist James Boswell. The results show that while youngsters are clued up on how to search the net, few are as comfortable with more traditional sources of information.Ī rare first edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, from 1768.When Google is not able to help, a fifth of children would then look to Wikipedia for answers.The majority (91%) of children use Google, with almost half (47%) 'Googling' at least five times a day and a fifth (18%) using the search engine ten times or more daily.Nearly a fifth (19%) have never used a print dictionary.The majority (54%) of six to 15-year-olds admit Google is their first point of call when they have a question.Almost half (45%) have never used a print encyclopaedia, yet more than three quarters (76%) have used Wikipedia.The research findings, from Birmingham Science City, give an insight into the growing use of digital resources compared to print counterparts.īelow is a snapshot of the results of the survey of 500 six to 15-year-olds across the UK: 'An encyclopedia? It's something you cook with': Rise of the digital generation.Ī quarter of children do not know what an encyclopaedia is, with one in ten thinking it is something you cook with, travel on, use to catch a ball or to perform an operation. In 2010, e-books accounted for 6 per cent of all books sold in the UK, with sales more than doubling every year.Īnd in the US, Amazon now sells more e-books than hardbacks and paperbacks combined. ![]() In terms of space-saving, practicality and cost, there is much to be said for e-books - something independent bookstores would dispute, as they are fast becoming endangered species.Īlthough digital books have been around for more than two decades, it is only in recent times that the long-predicted explosion in electronic reading has come to take hold. The death of the print edition of Britannica echoes the rise of the techno-savvy consumer. But it's an icon that doesn't do justice to how much we've changed over the years'. Mr Cauz told CNN: 'The print set is an icon. Last year, the company unveiled its own iPhone and iPad apps. With its scholarly, reliable reputation, Mr Cauz said Encyclopedia Britannica had not been affected by the popularity of Wikipedia. So, if it's accuracy people want (and there are plenty examples of wiki text being amended inaccurately), Mr Cauz clearly hopes those with a thirst for knowledge will head for his company's websites.Īs to whether print editions of books will be viable products in the future, Mr Cauz predicted, 'print may not completely vanish from the market, but I think it is going to be increasingly less important'. In Britannica's favour is the fact that, unlike Wikipedia, it is not an open source tool that can be edited by anyone. Total visitors to Britannica's websites last year numbered 450million.ĭaily traffic to Wikipedia is around 100million hits, which equates to more than 36 BILLION hits a year.Īnd as the snapshot survey (see below) reveals, 45% of youngsters polled have never used a print encyclopedia - yet more than three-quarters have used Wikipedia. Mr Cauz added: 'The print edition became more difficult to maintain and wasn't the best physical element to deliver the quality of our database and the quality of our editorial'.īritannica is one of many traditional publishers which has embraced the digital age with a range of online products but it has struggled with financial losses.Īlthough Britannica's president, Jorge Cauz, does not see Wikipedia as a threat, the statistics make interesting reading. ![]() The company said it will keep selling print editions until the current stock of around 4,000 sets runs out. By 1996, that number had fallen to just 40,000.Īn online subscription costs around £45 ($70) per year and the company recently launched a set of apps ranging between £1.20 ($1.99) and £3 ($4.99) per month. Jorge Cauz, Encyclopedia Britannica's president, said t he top year for the printed encyclopedia was 1990, when 120,000 sets were sold.
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