SCHOOL LIBRARY:BOOKS VS. INTERNET

By Porsche Davis

EVOLVING SCHOOL LIBRARY Not just a place to check out

books anymore It also offers:

Magazines Journals Audiovisual equipment Computers with Internet

access and educational software

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT “Over the past half-

century, there have been about 75 studies on the impact of school library media programs on academic achievement” (Lance 3).

Quality collections of books and other materials selected to support the curriculum

State-of-the-art technology that is integrated into the learning and teaching process

Cooperation between school library media centers and other types of libraries

“The Internet is marvelous, but to claim, as some now do, that it’s making libraries obsolete is as silly as saying shoes have made feet unnecessary” (Herring 76).

VISABILITY

Over 1 billion web pages

Invisible net Searches are not

updated on a regular basis

Systematically organized in every library

BOOKSINTERNET

INTERNET

Everything can not be found on the Internet

“Only about 8% of all journals are on the Web” (Herring 76).

Individual subscriptions are costly

Inter-library loans

BOOKS

ACQUISITION

RELIABILTY

“Today, anyone with a website is a “publisher”(Bell 29).

Wikipedia Locating reliable

sources

“We need a new kind of educational training, a new wisdom to cope with the deluge of information” (Trimel).

LMS collection development

Selection tools

BOOKSINTERNET

READABILITY

Headaches Neck aches Backaches Eyestrain

“In a recent survey of those who buy electronic books, more than 80% said they like buying paper books over the Internet, not reading them on the Web” (Herring 78).

BOOKSINTERNET

ACCESSIBILITY

No Internet access Not fair Not equal

Every one is invited Fair Equal

BOOKSINTERNET

EXPENSES

Digitization is costly Virtual state library $125 million for

50,000 books Computer

maintenance

“Books still represent the more economical, flexible, wash-and-wear way to transport information at a very low cost” (Trimel).

BOOKSINTERNET

“Books will remain indispensable not only for literature but for any circumstance in which one needs to read carefully no only to receive information but also to speculate and to reflect about it” (Trimel).

NAVIGATION

oSkipped linesoInformation is not easily relocated

BOOKSINTERNET

WE NEED BOOKS AND THE INTERNET

With books and the Internet we can: o improve students’ achievemento make information accessible to

everyoneo locate the desired informationo ensure students are obtaining

reliable resourceso utilize our funds efficiently and

effectively

WORKS CITEDBalas, Janet L. “Facing Budget Cuts: Must We Rob Peter to Pay Paul?” Information Today

(2006): 36 – 38.

Bell, David A. “The Bookless Future.” The New Republic 232.16/17 (2005): 27- 33.

Herring, Mark Y. “10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library.” American

Libraries. (Apr. 2001): 76 – 78.

Lance, Keith Curry. “How School Librarians Leave No Child Behind: The Impact of School

Library Media Programs on Academic Achievement of U.S. Public School Students.” School

Libraries in Canada. 22.2 (2002): 3 – 6.

Sinclair, Alex. “IN Students Suffer from School Library Cuts.” School Library Journal 50:12 (Dec.

2004): 23.

Tarulli, Laurel. “Taking the Leadership Initiative: How You Can Fight the Budget Cut Battle.”

School Libraries in Canada. 24.3 (Mar. 2005).

Trimel, Suzanne. “Eco: Internet Will Not Replace Books.” Columbia University Record 22.10

(Nov. 1996).