[ETL503 Module 1 Reflection]
QUESTION: In today’s world of digital content and Internet accessible information, are books (and the libraries that hold them) still necessary?
Libraries versus the Internet
We simply have to stop and take a look at the people around us to notice we live in a digital age. Have you ever been in an office when the Internet goes down? People wonder around like zombies, having cups of tea or coffee that they don’t want, sparking inane conversations and shuffling papers that have sat in a pile for months untouched, in favour of working online.
However, when it comes to reading for pleasure, obtain metacognition or study for a degree, which resource is more preferred – a library and written text or the Internet?
According to research by Naomi S. Baron (Schaub, 2016) 92% of College Students prefer paper resources, saying that paper resources offer fewer distractions, less headaches and eyestrain, a pleasant smell and a sense of resolution at the end of every page.
Furthermore, a Teen Reading study funded by Deakin and Murdoch Universities in Australia (Copyright, 2017) found that most teens prefer (fiction) print books because of the sensory benefits such as the feel of the pages, the smell of books and the way books look when presented on a shelf or display. They also said they thought books were better priced, had an ease of access, required very little digital skill and were not limited by technology access or Wi-Fi connectivity.
Book Publishing Today – Using your eyes versus using your ears
The following is a quote from my Forum post (Roe, 2019),
“Shatzkin (2016) discusses the history of book publishing and I used to work in a small bookstore in the 1990’s called WaldenBooks (owned by the Walden company mentioned by Shatzkin). I remember that Borders in my town, which was this giant bookstore, bought it out but that I felt it was pretty but overwhelming in size. The staff did not have a connection to the books, rather a connection to the cash register in the centre. Specialist staff were employed to assist customers in their searches.”
It had so many levels and so many books! The human element was vastly underwhelming. I went in one day to see a friend who had transferred over to Borders after the takeover. She was an interesting lady with a very kind heart. Let’s call her M. She lived with her mother and seemed happy at Borders, with better pay, and more support. I sometimes got letters from her from her travels as a park ranger in Alaska (her ‘other job.’) I did tell you she was interesting!
At Waldenbooks M had spent most of her time unpacking boxes of books received from publishers and acquisition them into the floor stock. She’d load these books onto shelves and I’d have the joyous task of shelving them into the stacks for customers in between running the cash register or finding special orders and contacting customers to let them know their books had arrived.
Once she had gotten the books out of the storeroom and the boxes cut up and put outside, she could sit and read in the back room to her heart’s content, unless our crazy boss made her come out and run the desk, which she hated.
With the closure of Borders, where did M go I wonder? Is she working for Barnes and Noble now? Did her mother die and leave her the house? Is she alone? What is the human cost of e-books?
Note to self: Find M!
As I said in my 2019 forum post: “Referring back to Shatzkin (2016), it is interesting how the internet has changed the purchasing of books, in terms of how to stock a school collection. In the past someone go down to the bookstore and get the newest books. Now, I suppose, they all have to be ordered over the Internet through, as Shatzkin calls them, ‘the 4 horsemen.’”
(Furthermore, I continued to write in the Roe 2019 forum post)
“Shatzkin (2018) discusses audio books or ‘books to be heard.’ I don’t like audio books because I am a visual learner and words that are only spoken are often distracting for me. I get lost in my own thoughts and suddenly ‘wake up’ to the fact that several minutes have passed and I was not listening. I know there are students out there with auditory processing disabilities and students who benefit from things being read out loud. I think therefore the resources need to have a balance and be stocked based on the requirements of the people that will be using them. This is much like the recent research that says students learn better from written notes versus digital notes, which is discussed on National Public Radio with James Doubek (2016).”
Similarly, I recently purchased an online text only because that was the only way I could access it and it took me a very long time to get through it even though it was not an audio text. I didn’t feel like I needed to really read all of the content, like I only needed to skim it—much like we do every day on the Internet. In a school context, surely what the students are reading needs to be carefully perused and thought over so that they have a better grasp of the knowledge provided in the text?
ANSWER: In today’s world of digital content and Internet accessible information, books (and the libraries that hold them) are not only necessary, they are vital.
The below is a great website group for supporting quality school libraries that was pointed out to me via the CSU Masters Of Education Teacher Librarian course ETL503 Resourcing the Curriculum, Module 1: https://studentsneedschoollibraries.org.au/
References:
Copyright Agency. (2017, February 28). Most teens prefer print books[Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.copyright.com.au/2017/02/teens-prefer-print-books/
Doubek, J. (2016). Attention Students: put your laptops away. National Public Radio(US). Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away
Roe, C. (2019, March 9) Thoughts regarding Shatzkin (2016 & 2018) [Online Forum comment]. Message posted to: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_42383_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_78886_1&forum_id=_147529_1&message_id=_2158012_1
Schaub, M. (2016). 92% of college students prefer print books to e-books, study finds. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-92-percent-college-students-prefer-paper-over-pixels-20160208-story.html
Shatzkin, M. (2016). Book publishing lives in an environment shaped by larger forces and always has. The Shatzkin Files.Retrieved from http://www.idealog.com/blog/book-publishing-lives-in-an-environment-shaped-by-larger-forces-and-always-has
Shatzkin, M. (2018) Words-to-be-read are losing ground to words-to-be-heard. The Shatzkin Files. Retrieved from https://www.idealog.com/blog/words-to-be-read-are-losing-ground-to-words-to-be-heard-a-new-stage-of-digital-content-evolution/
Students need school libraries, (2018). Retrieved from https://studentsneedschoollibraries.org.au/
USC Marshall. (2019). 4 Reasons School Libraries Are Still Essential. Library and Information Science Online Degree Programs. Retrieved from https://librarysciencedegree.usc.edu/4-reasons-school-libraries-are-still-essential/
