Going paperless

I have vivid memories of going to the library when I was in grad school back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There were so many books and journals the bookshelves were on tracks so they could be packed together as densely as possible. If you wanted to retrieve a book you would manually roll the shelves apart to open a gap large enough to walk between them. I recall thinking there was so much information on those bookshelves and the volume would continue to increase exponentially every year. I worried about the trees. I worried whether the floors were sturdy enough to hold the books. I worried about being crushed between the shelves.

Flash forward to the 2010s. Despite my job teaching at the University of Arizona, I haven't set foot in the university library for years. It's not that I don't use the library. In fact I use it almost every day when I'm writing lectures and teaching. The difference is that I do everything online from the comfort of my own home or office. I scroll through journals rather than thumbing through them. While I miss the smell of the books and breaking in new bindings I don't miss trudging across campus only to find the issue I need missing from the bookshelf. As long as I have internet, the electronic version of the paper is always available for me.

In November 2011 I bought my husband a new-to-the-market Kindle Fire for his birthday. He's an avid reader and has bookshelves full of books. I thought it might be time for us to embrace the electronic reader. About a month later he bought me a iPad. Then he declared we'll never need another bookshelf in the house. I think he might be right.

The boys love to read and have bookshelves full of Magic Treehouse, 39 Clues, Harry Potter, Oh Yuck! and other beloved books. We go to the library about twice a month to fill up our book bag. We donate old books and try to buy used books when we need an actual book. I'm proud to say my 10-year old knows how to look up words in a real, physical, paper dictionary. That skill may be akin to hooking a horse up to a buggy but I'm proud nonetheless. The boys are open to reading electronic books but they still like actual books and I'm fine with that. I do look forward to the day when electronic readers consolidate reading materials for school so the boys don't have to lug around such heavy backpacks.

My parents are even starting to embrace the electronic age. When they first started using email they would print every message they received, as it were a valuable fax or a telegram. My dad suggested getting my mom an iPad for her birthday last year. I think he may like it more than she does. They use the iPad to read the news, post on Facebook and check sport scores. The iPad is especially useful to them when they travel so they can keep up to date on the hometown news. Neither one uses it to read books.

My husband's brother, who is an earlier adopter than we are, gave my in-laws Kindle Keyboards in 2010. My father-in-law reads the New York Times or other out-of-town newspaper on it as well as an occasional book, which he purchases. My mother-in-law will read an inexpensive book on it when she is traveling. So my in-laws are open to going paperless for reading news and books. However, my father-in-law writes a letter to us every week. Sometimes there are local newspaper clippings enclosed. He used to hand-write the letters but now he composes them on his computer and prints them out. I always had trouble reading his handwriting so I applaud the upgrade to computer-generated text. He signs the letter, places it in an envelope, puts a stamp on it and drops it into a mailbox. Each week we look forward to that letter. My husband keeps every single one of them.

After I got my iPad I made a vow to go paperless. Well, I can't imagine being totally paperless but I'm trying to significantly reduce the amount of paper I use and generate. I no longer print out every journal article I want to read. I grade student papers electronically rather than having them turn in hard copies. It's been an adjustment and sometimes I yearn for paper, a pen and a yellow highlighter but I'm trying to adapt and move forward.

Here is the current status of my very own personal quest to be paperless:

Things I like about being paperless;
1) Electronic editions of my magazines: I love reading Entertainment Weekly and People on my iPad. My annual subscription comes with free access to the electronic edition. I can download the newest issues on Wednesday night even though the paper copy doesn't arrive in the mail until Friday afternoon. My paper copies generally go straight into the recycling bin. Sadly, you can't subscribe to the electronic edition without getting the paper copy. However, see #1 on my "Reasons I don't want to be 100% paperless right now list" below.

2) Back-lit iPad screen: Whatever I'm reading generates its own light! Poor lighting no longer discourages me from reading in a comfy chair. I hated being tethered to my Itty Bitty Book Light when I read in bed. When I'm traveling there never seems to be an electric outlet by my side of the bed so I would have to bring along a battery pack. The freedom afforded by my back-lit screen is worth every penny.

3) Using and generating less paper: I'm getting more comfortable reading journal articles and grading papers electronically. I'm also glad the elementary school has converted to an electronic newsletter. There are now fewer paper notices coming from the school. Most of what does come home ends up going right into the recycling bin. With the electronic newsletter I can just print out and save the things I want.

4) Fewer catalogs arriving in the mail: I used to get stacks of mail order catalogs in the mail. Now that most companies have online catalogs they've stopped mailing the hard copies. While I did enjoy thumbing through them when I had free time they often just sat in piles waiting for me to look at them and reminding me I had not.

5) I don't have a great paper filing system: What am I supposed to do with all that paper I accumulate? There are work-related papers, bills, bank statements, receipts, invitations, recipes and more. I imagine I'm supposed to sort through the papers and file them in the appropriate place. The problem is I'm not that organized. If I can't figure out what to do with a particular paper I stuff it in my filing cabinet and then I can't find the paperwork I need when I need it. I can find things far more easily if they are sent to me electronically. Gmail gives me a huge amount of space for my email. I never ever throw out a single email message and I'm only at 65% of my capacity. So any time I want to find information in my gmail archive I just have to search and there it is. If gmail charged me for this service it would be worth every penny. It's free so it's even better.

6) Less clutter: Going paperless has reduced the amount of clutter on my desk and in my house and office. Don't get me wrong - I still have clutter. It's just not piles and piles of paper.

7) Lighter travel bag: When we go on trips I don't have to carry around heavy stacks of magazines and books. That makes my carry-on bag or suitcase lighter. I do have to plan ahead though and make sure everything is loaded on my iPad in case I don't have internet access wherever I'm going.

Reasons I don't want to be 100% paperless right now;
1) I'm not taking my iPad to the beach: I don't want to worry about getting water or sand on my iPad. I don't want to worry about leaving my iPad behind when I go in the water or for a walk along the beach. I'd much rather take along a magazine or book and then I don't have to worry.

2) The morning paper: Call me old fashioned but I like to have the paper delivered to the house. The first thing Johnny does when he wakes up is look for the comics. I like leafing through the local paper while I eat breakfast. That's an old habit that will die hard. 

3) I don't like reading electronic books: I've tried but I just don't enjoy reading electronic books. I like flipping pages. I like feeling the book in my hands. I suppose it's the way of the future but I will be dragged kicking and screaming along the way.

4) Will the kids read or play games?: My boys haven't shown much interest in electronic books. We downloaded a few free books when I first got my iPad. Then I noticed they abandoned the books they were reading in favor of playing Temple Run or Angry Birds. They're older now and perhaps I need to give it another try. One big problem I've encountered is the limited availability of electronic books they want to read. It's much easier for them to pick a book off the shelf at the library and read it immediately. The good electronic books have long waiting lists. I'm not buying electronic books for someone who reads as much and as quickly as Johnny does.

5) Paper reminders: As much as I like my electronic devices I like physical reminders of the things I need to do. I write my daily "To Do" lists on paper. I tried using Astrid to organize my To Do list on my electronic devices but it took much more effort than just putting pencil to paper. I also tried Grocery IQ for my shopping list. I had two problems with Grocery IQ. First, it took longer to put together my electronic shopping list and second, my phone battery always seemed to die during while I was at the store. I prefer my bills to be organized in chronological order based on due date. I was forced to go paperless for some of my credit cards but I always end up printing the bills so I have the physical reminder. I also like to have paper reminders of school-related items for the boys. I have the school lunch menu on the fridge. I have the Funfest wristband and ticket order form on my desk so I remember to fill it out. I put the field trip memo on the wall next to the calender so I remember which day Nathan has to wear his class shirt and and what items he has to bring along.

6) I don't have a great electronic filing system:  My paper reminders are a crutch because my electronic information isn't well-organized. I can rely on search to find information but I only remember to look for the information if I have a physical prompt.

7) Airplane take-off and landing: I don't fly very often and I like flying well-enough but I find that period of time when they make you turn off electronic devices to be interminable. You're squished in your seat and you know you'll be stuck there for several hours. And then the turbulence starts and babies are crying and you really just want something to take your mind off of things. At that point you've even been forced to stash your noise-cancelling headphones. You can reach for a paper magazine or book but you can't turn on your electronic device.

I'm no longer as worried about the trees. I know the floors can withstand the weight of my smaller piles of paper. And now I won't be crushed between the rolling bookshelves because everything is drifting up into The Cloud.