Last spring I toured a school. As a group we were shuffled into a large room
with the traditional school tables, chairs and a couple of shelves pushed off
to the side. There we were given an
overview of the school and various programs offered. At one point there was an apology. The
apology was for the current state of the library. Yes, we were sitting in the library. This was
the library? Initially I was shocked. Where
are the books? Is this a lack of funding? Are they storing their books
somewhere else while the room is under renovation? No, it was none of the
above. The entire school has moved to the use of laptops. Students are issued laptops on the first day
of school. The students no longer tote around heavy books for math, science and
the like. The library is virtually devoid of paper books. The students
research, submit, and access information from their school issued laptops.
So that got me to thinking... is this the future of
libraries and schools? Will libraries move totally online eliminating the need
for paper books? Will libraries
basically become study centers with tables, chairs, or colorful couches or
internet cafes on school campuses with coffee, Mountain Dew and candy bars? What about funding for school technology? Is
the technology going to be so inexpensive that laptops and tablets will be
virtually disposable? Will the ebook
revolution generate less expensive online textbooks or divert funding from
other resources such as physical book budgets? Will teaching on tablets actually be less
expensive than paper books. Will late
adoption by some schools create a vast divide of the "have's" and the
"have nots?"
Don't get me wrong I realize there are huge issues with
implementation. Many schools have ongoing theft
issues (both suburban and urban), how do we get students and parents to take responsibility
for laptops, etc. Public schools can be some of the slowest adopters. Keep in
mind that I grew up in the public school system and I am a strong supporter of the
public school system (the lack of school funding is a whole different rant for
another day). As an example of late
adoption, schools continue to use
cassettes players to teach students. One of the requirements for schools
supplies recently was a cassette player.
I almost went into a panic -- where was I going to get a cassette
player? Fortunately (or unfortunately)
my wife keeps everything. So you guessed it, we had a small portable cassette
player in the basement in a box. It is grey with a long strap so you could
throw it over your shoulder like a purse and listen to music as you walk. And
yes there is still a pink Walkman in our basement as well -- at what point does
an item become an antique?
Much debate has been generated about paper books.
Bestsellers still generate a majority of their sales from paper rather than eBooks. However, the resale of
paper books is almost at zero just take a look at Amazon's buy back rate. Every garage sale has hardcover and softcover books
for sale for as little as a quarter (including recent bestsellers). Paper books
are almost worthless after purchase (other than the intrinsic enjoyment from reading
the story). I recently purchased a
hardcover book on Amazon for a school project.
The used hardcover book was 1/2
the price of the paperback and 1/3 of the price of the ebook and it came with
free shipping for a total of $2.95. The rock bottom price with free shipping forced
me to buy the hardcover which now I will probably donate. So with used paper books that are almost free,
will that hinder libraries and schools from moving towards technology?
It is a total paradigm change and one that can quietly slip
by if there isn't someone championing the cause. One that public and private schools need to
consider because the early adopters are navigating this new terrain now and they
have been for two or more years. So just
what is the future of libraries, schools, and books?
