It is believed that in the near future books will no be used as much for data collection. I personally agree with that statement as technology advances and grows over the years, we might not need books as much anymore because of accessibility and affordability.
First, computers have changed the way we collect information completely. Data can be collected from any place and by anyone so we are no longer confined to just one means of research like libraries. We can access a vast sea of information from the comfort of our home or on any device like our phones. For instance, it is a lot cheaper to save all of our books on a lap top or an e-book reader than commuting to places and using actual books. There are so many more devices to access data with.
Furthermore, because of the recent rise in the price of paperback books, they are no longer affordable for most people specially students who are the biggest group of researchers. To explain this further, analyzing data on the internet is a lot cheaper and faster than physically going to a library or buying resources. Because when someone is researching, they are going to need some of the more complicated and advanced books out there that cost a lot more than commonly used books. Like how expensive a reference book can be compared to a novel for example.
In conclusion, it is cheaper and more efficient to use digital books over traditional paper books and I firmly believe that they will replace the old-fashioned ways of research.