What is the Future of Books
courtesy of http://hhs.hanovernorwichschools.org/
Since the formation of the earliest civilizations, our desire to share knowledge has guided our cultural and technological development. Oral tradition prevailed for many generations as the primary means of preserving and sharing information, until writing developed, first appearing in a wide range of different mediums. Writing started to appear on clay tablets, papyrus scrolls, and the walls of buildings. Eventually, writing found its way into books. There are huge buildings throughout out the world dedicated to providing a home for these books and protecting them so they can see another day, but with the development of the Internet, books have become at least somewhat obsolete. People all over the world have access at any time from anywhere to an amount of information that fills millions of books, all from something as small as a hand-held device. It’s easy to ask ourselves, do we even need books anymore? This brings me to my argument about whether school libraries should still have books.
Currently a large part of the budget in schools all over the United States is allocated for the purchasing and maintenance of books and reference materials for Media Centers and Libraries. As a student, my first thought when conducting research is to use the Internet and find reference materials from online encyclopedias or primary sources. Rarely does it occur to me to walk to the library, look up a book in the catalog, and go flip through page after page to look up the information that I need. The system to me just feels incredibly outdated and it is time for schools and libraries to embrace change and move into the modern era of the internet and digital books.
Our library/Media Center here at Hanover High School has begun the process of transitioning into the modern age by subscribing to countless online resources that are constantly up to date. They have also rearranged the physical layout of the library to draw attention to fiction books and by moving the non-fiction to the edges or to the upper class room area. The new arrangement follows how I think the library should transition into the new age. As an avid reader myself nothing beats the portability of my iPad with all my textbooks available and the resources of the Internet at my fingertips. In this digital age, books cannot beat the internet when it comes to availability and convenience of information. The one thing books have over tablets and computers is the physical comfort they bring when one reads for pleasure. Sitting by the fire on a cold winter night and reading from a physical book can seem the epitome of comfort and relaxation.