I am a physical book person, I like to read a chapter of a book before I go to bed. My husband on the other hand is an ebook person and likes to listen to books to help him fall asleep. This debate will continue on I’m sure.

Now when it comes to schools and this debate there are a few things to take into consideration. Whilst it is very important for students to physically read a book so that they can see their sight words, use the pictures to help them decode words and physically use their fine motor skills to turn each page, there are some interesting points about online books. Listening to a book may help that student that is a reluctant reader and expose them to new vocab and give them a greater imagination. An online book can have the print enlarged or zoomed, it can have coloured backgrounds to help the child that has dyslexia and there are online programs like ‘Sunshine Online’ or ‘Wushka’ that allow students to record themselves reading, complete activities or take a test / quiz and teachers are able to gauge where the student is at.

Concentration is another point to consider. When a student has a physical book in front of them, their focus will completely be on reading that book. If a student is reading a ebook, will there be more distractions because they are able to move from one online space to another.

What is the cost of having enough devices for each student to be able to access online books? Technology becomes outdated quickly and needs replacing. Do we really want our students having more screen time? Physical books on the other hand can be purchased once and be used over and over and is easy to find on the bookshelf.

Each librarian is going to have their own opinion and ultimately there needs to be a balance between physical and online books. My preference is always going to physical but I don’t see the harm in having access to some online books to help those that may need it.

Du Temple, T, (2020). The positive potential of ebooks within school libraries. SCIS Connections, (113). https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-113/the-positive-potential-of-ebooks-within-school-libraries

Robb, A. (2015). 92 percent of college students prefer reading print books to ereaders. New Republic.  https://newrepublic.com/article/120765/naomi-barons-words-onscreen-fate-reading-digital-world