Wired magazine has an article by John Abell:
5 Reasons Why E-Books Aren’t There Yet.
How do these issues apply to Logos? Here's a personal response.
1) An unfinished e-book isn’t a constant reminder to finish reading it.
Logos is primarily a reference library, and I don't need to to read a whole commentary or dictionary before moving on to something else.
Still, I do regularly read books in Logos, and I find:
It does remind me, by opening the books I had open last, to the same page.
For what I bought recently, open Library, and sort by the Last Updated column, or visit https://www.logos.com/user/orders
- Save Layouts for current tasks.
- Keep current books in Favorites, or c
- heck Tools | History. (I don't actually do this much.)
2) You can’t keep your books all in one place.
Since Logos provides much of what I need to work, with, I find exactly the opposite: all my books are with me, everywhere I go (not just at one location.)
I also find that Collections let me access (and search) books in ways that bookshelves do not.
3) Notes in the margins help you think.
Logos allows highlighting and annotating in any book -- precisely the power Abell wishes for (if you follow his openmargin link.)
What I actually do is:
Highlight incessantly.
Add a ? (Highlighting | Emphasis Markup) to statements where I disagree with an author.
Use a Notes file, and link the note to the actual paragraph.
When preparing presentations in MS Word, insert a hyperlink back to Logos.
4) E-books are positioned as disposable, but aren’t priced that way.
Not applicable: I do not want my books expiring after I've read and marked them up.
Some Logos resources are priced beyond me, so I don’t buy those.
Keep an eye out for best buys: periodic specials, Pre-pubs, Community Pricing, often linked from the blog and forums.
5) E-books can’t be used for interior design.
True. In years gone by, you walked into some pastors’ homes and were overwhelmed by their books. A Logos library is not as visibly impressive.
You can always use Mark Barnes' Bibliographical Report
But if it’s about learning from others sharing their information, help and connection in the Logos community may be more meaningful than interior design impressions.
Logos is not the easiest thing in the world to learn, but it is a very flexible and powerful tool.
