Looks like the writing is on the wall for Border's bookstores. 
The Wall Street Journal reports that the 674-store chain is expected to 
file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week. Rival Barnes & Noble is also struggling.What a decade of changing technology. First, record stores vanished one by one as digital downloads became the status quo, with Tower, HMV and Virgin Records shuttering their doors, until even New York City was left without a record retailer.
Next came Blockbuster, which didn't stand a chance against newer, simpler technologies like Netflix, Redbox and on-demand.
And now the iPad, Kindle and other E-Readers have eradicated good old-fashioned brick-and-mortar retailers of paper with words printed on it. Books, they were called. Between 2007 and 2009, E-sales grew 366%, according to the Assn. of American Publishers, as hardback book titles dropped 7%.
It's a world dominated by Amazon and Apple out there. And that may not be such a good thing.
I was worried about the libraries since I am there several times a week and depend on them for my books. I did not get an e reader for quite some time because of that until I spoke to my head librarian who assured me they were keeping up with the times by purchasing e books as well as hard copies for borrowing. I then got a Kindle which I promptly returned and replaced with the Nook since books could be downloaded from the library on the Nook but not the Kindle.
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