Our collection is made up of digital and hard copy resources. I’ll need to do a bit of digging, but I suspect that the digital resources are not getting the work-out that they ought to be! I thought I’d have a think about the benefits and challenges regarding eBooks in order to understand why and uncover ways to promote them further.
Benefits of eBooks:
- eBooks are convenient. As long as you have your device you have a whole library at your fingertips, wherever you are.
- Access to a greater range of material.
- They take up no space for the user or the library.
- eBooks are sustainable.
- They can’t be damaged.
- Digital resources can be edited or updated without having to be reproduced.
- Borrowers don’t have to commit. If the text they have isn’t useful, they can instantly return and borrow another.
Challenges:
- Access to eBooks could be inequitable depending on having access to a suitable device and internet connection. Some families do not have access to these things, so the learner is disadvantaged by their circumstances.
- Using eBooks could be seen as increasing screen-time for children.
- Is it a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for children borrowing ebooks? Do children need something physical (like a hardcopy book) to remind them to engage?
- Digital devices present distractions that may take the reader away from the text.
- Additional features of eBooks such as narration, animated illustrations, and complementary games take the focus away from reading the print. (de Jong & Bus, 2002)
- eBooks can have an impact on the level of interaction an adult may have with the child when engaging with the text. (Korat & Or, 2010)
Questions to consider:
- How many students/families are accessing our online resources?
- How can we promote our eBook collection further?
- What is our investment in eBooks, how does this work?
- How do families feel about reading from screens?
I’ll have to do a bit of research in our school community to uncover the borrowing habits of the students and their understandings of our eLibrary. Hopefully we can encourage increased participation in using eBooks.
- de Jong, M. T. & Bus, A. G. (2002). Quality of book-reading matters for emergent readers: An experiment with the same book in a regular or electronic format. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(1), 145-155. http://doi.org/10.1037//0022-0663.94.1.145
- Lowry, L. (2016). E-Book or Paper Book − What’s Best for Young Children? The Hanen Centre. E-Book or Paper Book − What’s Best for Young Children? http://www.hanen.org/helpful-info/articles/e-book-or-paper-book-whats-best-for-young-child.aspx
- Korat, O. & Or, T. (2010). How new technology influences parent-child interaction: The case of e-book reading. First Language, 30(2), 139-154. http//doi.org/10.1177/0142723709359242