Have phone books outlived their purpose?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Phone books are making the rounds again, being dropped on doorsteps around the area.

But some people are asking, "Why?"

Often they just sit outside the front door, getting wet and doing no good.

News4Jax reporter Jim Piggott went out looking for people who still use phone books.

He didn't have much luck.

Most people said they now use the Internet to find phone numbers, and since most of their friends only use cellphones, their numbers are not listed.

Danielle Johnson said she last used a phone book about 15 years ago, and she thinks it's a waste to hand them out.

When is the last time you used the phone book?

"They just sit here and nobody picks them up," Johnson said.

But Piggott did find one woman who said she actually does use the phone book.

"It was probably when I was pregnant with (my daughter) looking up doctors," said Rikka Gallegos. "I keep mind just in case. You never know when somebody is going to need it."

A spokeswoman for YP, which prints phone books, pointed out that the company also has digital products: an app and YP.com, which she said are used by more than 70 million visitors each month in the U.S.

"YP offers a variety of products across mobile, online and print that are available to consumers," said Kristen Morquecho, vice president of public relations for YP. "In fact, our on-going research enables us to know who uses our digital products and who prefers our print products. We believe in giving consumers a choice when it comes to accessing local business information, so we'll continue to let the consumer vote for what they want."

But if you're not going to use yours, make sure to drop it in the blue bin -- they are recyclable.


About the Author:

Jim Piggott is the reporter to count on when it comes to city government and how it will affect the community.