Ebooks and libraries

I know that we are moving farther and farther into the digital age, and students are becoming more accustomed to using online resources, but there are some things that I, as a librarian, am not ready to accept as the norm.

I don't think that Ebooks should become a main resource for students... Using physical copies of books, whether it is for school purposes or just fun reading, allows students to stay in touch with the sense of "real" information and text. Holding a book in their hands emphasizes what they are absorbing as they read. Having the physical book can help students realize that the information they are reading came from somewhere-- it took effort and time to make the information available; it didn't just appear out of nowhere. I think that reading online Ebooks can sometimes make it seem that way.

Students don't become as tied to online books as they can to physical books. By using physical books, students are taught to respect the resource and treat it well to make sure it lasts; they are shown how to find the books in a library, rather than hitting a few keys and having it pop up in front of them. In an age of immediate online gratification, it seems like a good idea to show students how to search and find books in the shelves of a real library. This way, they can better appreciate the effort they put into finding the book.

I think Ebooks can be useful if there is a specific title that the library cannot acquire, particularly resource and textbooks. However, I don't think schools should provide titles online that can be found in the library for recreational reading. Part of the fun of reading is holding the book in your hands and taking the time to page through it.

Since students are becoming so dependent on technology to provide them with information and recreation, I like the idea of providing them with "real" books that will drag them away from their computer and iPhone screens, at least for a little while.