I never questionned the value of books but thought having online access to libraries would be a clear improvement over printed ones.
But my mind (and many people) is sensitive to the context in which you read information. A book is a passive block of sheets, it does not offer anything else than that. It helps focus. Also I suppose that our brain likes to have physical stimuli (touching pages, smell of paper, ink) and it might be a little more pleasing for your neurons than pixels on a LCD.
Now if you're not easily distracted, online version can be as good.
Lastly, I found that wikipedia, with all the value and care given in its text, lacks spirit. I can't really explain but when you read old encyclopedia you have the feeling of part of the author's mindset in the words. It's summarized and curated a bit differently. I found it nice too.
But my mind (and many people) is sensitive to the context in which you read information. A book is a passive block of sheets, it does not offer anything else than that. It helps focus. Also I suppose that our brain likes to have physical stimuli (touching pages, smell of paper, ink) and it might be a little more pleasing for your neurons than pixels on a LCD.
Now if you're not easily distracted, online version can be as good.
Lastly, I found that wikipedia, with all the value and care given in its text, lacks spirit. I can't really explain but when you read old encyclopedia you have the feeling of part of the author's mindset in the words. It's summarized and curated a bit differently. I found it nice too.
Cheers