READERS RESPOND: Do schools still need brick-and-mortar libraries?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Covello on August 18, 2009 at 10:09am

I don't have the time to put together a whole essay on the topic, but I will drop in my 2 cent's worth:

- Children need to understand the concept of privacy, even when they are in a room with 20 other people. Libraries have prescribed conventions for behavior that are useful in the real world.
- Children need to grow up understanding that physical space can and should be dedicated to study and intellectual exploration. This is precedent to designating space in one's own home or apartment for study. I have seen too many homes where all the furniture is oriented towards the television, in every room that has a TV. The idea of having furniture arranged for the purpose of study is a characteristic of few homes.
- Children need to learn how to ask for help. Too often, children ask for help in the form of "Can you do this for me? I don't know how." When a child has an assignment that requires research, they should learn to engage a variety of human/non-human entities to locate the best resources, and understand that "help" is a concept whereby you proceed to the extent of your own resourcefulness, and then you ask for help to find more or better paths towards your own endeavor. Librarians are quite at facilitating this habit.
- The act of seeking a physical library resource often causes chance encounters with items one would not intentionally seek out, and offers a potentially life changing trajectory towards many other interests. This is how we should behave with other people in our community and in the larger world as citizens.
- The Internet doesn't have everything. It has many things, but not everything.

- Steve Covello

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Permalink Reply by Doug Johnson on August 18, 2009 at 4:21pm

Do [all] schools still need brick-and-mortar libraries? NOPE!

I know there will be some raised eyebrows seeing my name associated with the “nay” side of any question about the necessity of school libraries. But let’s be honest here. There are schools that don’t need library facilities, library programs, or librarians. These school’s teachers and administrators:

• Are content to have their instruction be textbook and test-driven. Given the number of standards in the state-mandated curriculum and the state’s test-based accountability requirements, the staff does not see the need for in-depth study of topics, problem-based teaching, or authentic assessment. A single textbook meets teacher needs.

• Are unconcerned about providing quality information sources to staff and students. Administrators feel that edited sources of information – books, commercial databases, or reference materials - are necessary when “everything is free on the Internet.” Questions of information reliability and authority are deemed irrelevant.

• Believe students and staff can locate information without assistance. Citing the ability of students to do a search in Google and find pages of information on which the search term appears, teachers dismiss the notion that more sophisticated strategies and search tools were needed. Kids can always change their topic if they don’t find what they need with Google in these schools.

• Feel that the ability to process and communicate information in formats other than print is unnecessary. Students in these schools use standard written term papers as the sole means of communicating the results of research. That they are word-processed is cited as proof of “technology integration.” Having students communicate using audio, video, photographic or visual productions is dismissed as irrelevant to preparing students for college.

• Feel no need for F2F collaborative learning space. Classrooms and quiet study halls are the only places considered appropriate for learning in these schools.

• View independent voluntary reading is a waste of time. Strict adherence to the basal readers and reading “skill building” software results in students scoring acceptably on standardized tests, so both administration and teachers are reluctant to “mess with success.” Developing a desire to read and learn is not part of the district’s strategic plan.

• Believe differentiated instruction is just babying the slackers. Providing materials at a variety of levels, in multiple formats meeting the needs of learners with divergent abilities, interests and learning styles is given a low priority by these schools. One book, one reading level, one POV is good enough!

Small classroom book collections that supplement the reading series and a word-processing lab with access to Google are all that such schools require. Since the skills of librarians are viewed as unimportant, the library can be staffed by clerks. Don't waste the taxpayers' money putting 21st century libraries in 20th century schools.

I would not send my own children to such a school, but it’s differences that make a horse race, I guess.

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Permalink Reply by Noreen Strehlow on August 19, 2009 at 10:28am

I will side with those who say yes, we still need physical libraries. Many schools have already morphed their traditional books only libraries into computer enhanced "media centers." As more research materials make their way online, there is no need for these types of books, but I believe children will always need to have an area in which they can listen to an excellent story teller read them a book with proper inflection, character voices, and maybe even a costume. They need some comfy pillows with which to curl up and drift away to another time and place. As much as I love computers, and there is no question of that, you simply cannot read for pleasure as cozily as you can with your hands wrapped around a beloved novel on a chilly afternoon with a mug of hot chocolate and a grilled cheese sandwich. Books are comfort food for the mind and serve a visceral need.

Let's not abandon physical reading as we have the need for personal mark making in the form of handwriting. Because we no longer value physical writing, our children are in danger of losing something that is considered a legal document; their signature. We spend more time teaching them to fill in little circles on an exam and almost none concerned with their persona. If you sign a document, you are responsible for that agreement. If you have no real personal signature or handwriting, you have lost a great deal in my opinion. As an art teacher, I taught both traditional arts and computer graphics. I don't think it should be one or the other, but a blend of both. The same holds true of brick and mortar vs. digital. Why must it be a choice? Why not design spaces where both are possible. We spend a lot of money to preserve endangered species. Do we have to put books on an endangered species list in order for anyone to pay attention?


noreen.strehlow@phxelem.k12.az.us

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Permalink Reply by Rick Weinberg on August 25, 2009 at 6:52am

No.

School Libraries need to evolve much the same way the newspaper industry is and for the same reason. The way we access information in many ways has changed. Isn't the whole concept of a "book" also changing? Books will always exist, but the way publishing occurs, modern research tools and the physical nature of a book will force libraries to change to the point of non-existence, similar to local stores where we used to buy cds and rent movies. There will always be a need for school librarians. With modern tools, there seems to be so much readily available information that students need to know how to be the discerning reader we as educators always wanted them to be. Today's school librarian can help students verify sources, limit overwhelming amounts of information and help students judge good information. Librarians just don't need to do this in a physical library. On the website NYPL.org, which is the website for New York City's Public Libraries, students can have a live chat with a librarian 24 hours a day and ask for help to find resource that may not be available to them physically in a local library but are located online in a difficult place to find. It is also possible to share research information via social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Social Bookmarking sites. The books students can assess and the knowledge of the librarian no longer needs to be confined by shelving and walls. The last major change the library system went through was going from the card catalog to a digitized catalog systems. Wouldn't it be great if these books could be accessed right from the digitized cataloging system, from anywhere in the world, including the classroom where the task requiring research was assigned. This would essentially removing the middle man and facilitating a student's ability to get the information more quickly. We really want students to spend most of their time processing information and not accessing it.

Other changes are already happening. Take the Kindle for instance. The newest Kindle can hold up to 3,500 non-illustrated books. For many local schools, the whole library could fit on 2-4 Kindles. Students can now walk around with a whole library in their backpack. With the Kindle, books, magazines and newspapers download directly for a small fee. Many students need to use active reading techniques to help with comprehension like "writing in the margin" of the book and with the Kindle you can essentially do that by using the annotate function.

Too many times current structures of physical spaces, like libraries, confine us to our "way it used to be" thinking and not help us generate new ideas that advance society. Just the ability to use modern search technology and garner information from inside books of the past, that convey the greatest of ideas, could be accessed more easily and allow modern day authors, students and teacher more easily stand of the shoulder's of their peers.

Rick Weinberg
rick_weinberg@caboces.org

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Bryant on August 27, 2009 at 10:01am

The physical attributes of a library---as a destination—are as important as the gymnasium with its waxed floor and bleachers. Skills are learned in both places. Kids learn in structured as well as informal environments in both places. Licensed instructors help students acquire vital life-long skills in both places.

What many folks don’t understand is that these skills are not taught in isolation. The skills learned in a gym and the skills learned in the library aren’t necessarily going to be something that the student picks up via osmosis. I firmly believe that the library is the hub of the school. It is the place where individuals, small and large groups can come and get support, help and instruction. This instruction certainly happens in structured scheduled times, but it also happens when students come in on their own.

Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard all the analogies of the super information highway and how it allows folks to utilize a wealth of content.

Can students speed down that information highway, not worrying about what makes a better drive? No maps. No travel guides. No signs to help them know their next destination.

Would a physical education teacher allow a frantic game of dodge ball in the hallway? (let me amend that to say “Would a P.E. teacher who wishes to keep their job and not incur serious student injuries allow a frantic game of dodge ball in the hallway?”

Should students be in a computer lab or classroom without having had instruction and guidance in how to find information? It’s as vital to their education that the game of dodge ball is supervised in the gym as it is for kids to learn how to sift through the potholes awaiting them as they frantically search for information.

Cue the homespun flashback music.

Every lunch break I would see a variety of middle schoolers shuffle into the library to do various and sundry things. Some folks asked for help on their projects, others quietly did homework, and several would flirt with each other in that loud not-too-subtle way that only middle schoolers can employ. I enjoyed these lunch times, not only as a sort of anthropological view of what made middle schoolers tick, but also for the informal time that allowed information sharing about the good books that were being read, the tips on completing that tough history assignment and the inevitable discoveries that happened during that time.

That type of interaction would not happen without the library as travel destination.

Cue the happy travel music as we accelerate forward and stop abruptly.

Now more than ever students need a place to feel safe, to be able to explore and learn those high-level life-long skills. Schools have become much more than ‘brick and mortar’ places. Libraries aren’t just book depositories. They are vital, living breathing structures that keep a school together. They allow the meetings—of the mind and of the school board. It’s the journey, as well as the destination.

Kelly Bryant
kelly_bryant@soesd.k12.or.us

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Permalink Reply by Kathy Bonnell on August 29, 2009 at 6:02pm

Recently I helped a teacher find sites for an internet-based research project on Mexican culture and history. I literally spent days looking for sites with information on Mexican dance, art, dress, food, history, and music. I found a few sites sponsored by museums which displayed Mexican art, but I could only find commercial sites for most of the other aspects of Mexican culture, and I couldn’t find any sites at all for some topics. Contrast this with a short trip to the school library where within 15 minutes students can find high quality, documented information on every aspect of Mexican culture, possibly finding it all within a single book.

This highlights one of the problems of the internet: high quality, documented information is not free. It is true that instead of using a search engine and surfing the web, students could use a full-text database. Students who have access to full-text databases purchased for them by an institution are lulled into thinking that they are accessing all available information on the topic of their choice. This is not necessarily true. Most full-text databases are compilation of journal articles. The company which produced the full-text database may not have included older journal articles, may not have the most current articles, or may have even skipped some important journals altogether. Another problem with full-text databases is that researchers in certain disciplines, such as English and history, traditionally establish their scholarly reputation by publishing in books, not journal articles. Therefore, entire disciplines are not well represented in full-text databases. Also, if economic factors force institutions to drop their full-text subscriptions, then unlike print books or print journals, there are no archival copies for students to use.

On the internet one can discover an abundance of facts, graphics, and information; however books contain in-depth analyses and offer an organized, completely articulated argument or story. Moreover, books have a portability advantage; one can read them in any situation without special equipment. You can highlight text, put in bookmarks, and flip quickly from section to section.

One of the most compelling arguments for the continuing use of books and the libraries which house them is the research that has shown that the mere presence and accessibility of books has a positive effect on the reader, especially helping them to acquire essential reading skills. When the print environment is rich, more reading occurs. Research has also shown that students who have access to high-quality school libraries achieve higher scores on standardized tests and bring home better grades than students who attend schools that don’t have libraries. Students in schools that performed the highest on statewide reading and language assessment tests were more than three times apt to visit the media center with their class. Additionally, in Iowa elementary schools, the highest scoring students used more than 2.5 times as many books during media center visits as the lower scoring students.

Our 21st century library collections are composed of traditional print materials and access to information in a digital format; however, the prediction of the death of the book is precipitous. A good book is and will be an irreplaceable asset for years to come.

kathy bonnell
bonnell.kathy@newton.k12.ga.us

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Permalink Reply by Willy Kjellstrom on August 29, 2009 at 7:32pm

Yes.

The trend towards digitizing books and journals is a realized certainty, one that is happening whether people prefer physical publications or an electronic counterpart. For example, Google is creating digital versions of copyrighted texts from institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton with the goal of sharing knowledge with the world through efficient distribution channels. To read these texts, people use wirelessly connected devices like Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader, Apple’s iPhone, and the ubiquitous computer. Easily accessible, electronic words benefit many in the form of democratization of knowledge, user accessibility, decreased publication and distribution costs, and environmental sustainability.

With the ability to access and read texts that were once only offered in physical form, education leaders are questioning the need for brick-and-mortar libraries. The fundamental question appears reasonable: If libraries aren’t where people go to find the printed word when text is digital, then what function does the traditional library serve in the community, local schools, and higher education? The economic advantages of removing a library are quite appealing. However, electronic texts and eReaders present two particular challenges not apparent in physical books and journals. These challenges make physical books and libraries a necessity.

The current incarnation of eReaders lack the physical capabilities required to accomplish the variety of reading tasks that people perform. eReaders support linear reading but make flipping to different sections in books and referencing multiple books at once both difficult and cumbersome. For example, students and researchers, whether in K12 settings or higher education institutions, need the ability to see numerous texts at one time when conducting research. The technological limitations of screen size and viewing area are problems affecting eReaders’ utility and usability. Until there is an affordable technology that adequately displays multiple texts at once with intuitive, cross-publication navigation and tools, physical publications and libraries are essential.

E-Ink, the technology used to create highly readable words with low power consumption, is the de facto standard in consumer, stand-alone eReaders. While e-Ink leads to a very pleasurable linear reading experience on mobile devices, words and pictures only appear in grayscale. In many instances, readers need to see color graphs and images; understanding certain types of graphs, viewing images, and reading picture books are three experiences that benefit from color. The decision to include or forego color in physical texts is a publication decision; in all eReaders except for computers, color is not an option. The technological limitations of e-Ink necessitate physical, complimentary texts when color is crucial.

Physical books, journals, and magazines are critical in today’s environment of digitization and freely accessible texts. The current technological limitations of eReaders and electronic texts justify tangible publications to address the variety of ways that people read and process words. Libraries, public bastions for printed words, still need to exist in the digital age as a public service agent despite the emergence and benefits of electronic texts. However, libraries can and should evolve to accommodate electronic texts and physical books as well as build upon the affordances and limitations that each media type contains.

contactinfo: wrk6mt@virginia.edu

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Permalink Reply by Keith J. Mastrion on August 29, 2009 at 7:47pm

No. Schools need places to hold words and ideas and a way to access those words and ideas as efficiently as possible. Hard drives are far more economical, in every sense of the word, than massive spaces holding bound volumes.

In his eponymous play, Hamlet responds to Polonius' question, "What do you read, my lord?" with the famous quote, "Words, words, words." In the context of Shakespeare's play, Hamlet's answer suggests that the words are meaningless. He doesn't comprehend the idea behind them.

Having just seen his father's ghost, I'll bet that Hamlet would have responded in kind whether reading from a book or a computer screen. Words are words and ideas are ideas whether read in a book or on a computer. The mode of delivery means nothing, as long as there's comprehension in the mind toward which those words are directed.

One day teaching in Harlem, I knelt next to a student struggling to comprehend a passage about Mars. He re-read the words to me, then I said, "Okay, Mark, close your eyes and make a mind movie about what you just read. Now, tell me what you see?" Without opening his eyes, he looked at me and blurted, "I see black!"

If we'd had a computer in our classroom connected to our school's digitized library -- the world, and in this case the entire universe -- within literally a minute I'd have helped Mark comprehend what he'd read. Sure, we had a library upstairs, but it may as well have been on Mars. I couldn't forsake the rest of my class to take one child on a Mars quest. So, probably alone, the librarian sat in her information monarchy.

The 'yes' people might cry, "But what about curling up with a good book?" To this, I'll respond with another story. Years ago, my three-year-old niece loved to sleep with books scattered around her. To her worried mother, I explained that she wasn't curling up with books; she was curling up with characters.

Now I'm teaching my son to read. On my laptop with a digital camera, I've written several leveled books for him. Just two weeks ago, it warmed my father/teacher heart when he insisted on sleeping with his arm around that laptop.

I read Hamlet 20 years ago as an undergraduate at UVa. About all I remember from the play was the "Words, words, words" quote. With five minutes of digitized research, however, I was well on my way toward writing this. Were you fooled? I'm not that smart, but that's exactly the democratization of information Mark and I needed that frustrating day in Harlem. With it, we've all got a fighting chance.

Now as a graduate fellow in the Curry Center for Technology and Teacher Education, I'm thrilled beyond words that Virginia's Curry School is leading the trend toward digitization, eliminating its physical library, nearly in its entirety. With Google digitizing 50,000 volumes, and with so much physical and virtual space now available, creativity is our only limit. . . which is no limit, indeed.

kjm2aa@virginia.edu

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Permalink Reply by Kari Wold on August 31, 2009 at 9:02am

Physical libraries are desirable but are no longer necessary for K-12 schools. Instead, resources should be (a) devoted to promoting access to digital materials for all students and (b) teaching students how to best access and use the digital materials they will encounter throughout their lives.

First, resources used for physical books should be instead devoted to disseminating the technology used to access library materials. In doing so, we as educators invest in giving multiple students at one time access to literary materials in ways not previously possible. When I was in elementary school, I did not have these opportunities and therefore became a library thief. I would shove books under my shirt and walk out of my school’s library because I was trying to sidestep the rule about only being allowed to check out so many books at once. The library had finite materials: It therefore had rules in place out of a spirit of fairness in spreading limited materials across a vast population. Many students may not have this inclination toward academic thievery; they will walk away if information is not easily retrieved. Now, however, such fiendish measures are unnecessary as there are limitless copies of materials available to students if we devote resources to giving technological access to them.

Materials previously devoted to physical library resources may also be better served in promoting digital materials so students with all types of needs can effectively access information. I and other educators have often seen students with disabilities avoid literature and information because they do not want to seem different in asking for help. However, creating digital materials for these students will reduce this barrier in making information more uniformly accessible. The one-time cost of creating these materials is additionally often more cost-effective than continuously having staff present for individual students.

Second, putting resources that might have gone to physical libraries should be used toward teaching students how to effectively use digital materials. Without being taught how to access and best use digital resources in early years, students typically turn to often lackluster computerized materials in their later work. For example, in my work teaching writing to those seeking graduate degrees, I constantly see shoddy sources being used by students with the computerized tools but not the knowledge regarding how to find more effective material. This gap in knowledge is unfortunately not typically rectified among the young today.

We, however, can change this practice now. We can devote resources now splintered away in the upkeep of physical libraries to training students to distinguish quality digital material from the masses of questionable information that surrounds them. Let us not have search engines and Wikipedia be the first digital educational resources impressionable minds learn to reach for in seeking information.

Clearly, digital materials can provide wonderful opportunities for students. It is time we devote our resources most effectively to ensure our youngest students can access and can best navigate the materials that can enrich their lives both inside and outside school walls.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Luhtala on September 1, 2009 at 9:18am

Remember when you could call a business on the telephone and a human being would answer? Are you overcome by a wave of nostalgia just thinking about it? Phone trees are efficient and cost effective, from a business perspective, but they are dreadful for consumers. Customer service requires a human touch. Subjectivity, empathy, clarifying questions, all help consumers feel as though there is someone on their side. Computers just can’t do that. This is why digital libraries will never be able to replace brick and mortar libraries.

It can be argued that print collections and digital collections are relatively comparable. Each has its own unique set of pros and cons. Several users can access digital materials simultaneously, they can use them on or off site, and they can search them by keyword. Print materials are portable, and don’t rely on Internet connectivity. They allow non-wired patrons to use resources, thereby democratizing access to information. But overall, it cannot be said that one format is universally better than the other. They are both important for different reasons.

So the brick and mortar/digital debate for libraries has to go deeper than format. And it comes down to people. Libraries provide more than collections. They provide services and most of those services cannot be performed by computers. Or at least computers cannot meet patron needs any better than phone trees can answer customer calls. Would it be cheaper to have only digital libraries? Probably. But somehow the consumer was left out of the “crossover to phone tree” decision. And before we start implementing the “crossover to digital libraries” decision, we need to consider the other costs – those to patrons. This is particularly important in schools.

In schools, classroom teachers are more burdened than ever and students are, thanks to their experience as digital natives, lazier than ever – it’s not their fault. Advances in information technology have made locating information too easy for them. Moreover, students are not typically discriminating researchers. They need extensive instruction on resource evaluation and citation. Classroom teachers have neither the time nor the inclination to teach these skills; yet, they rank very high on the list of most important exit skills in a k-12 program. School librarians are educators first, and librarians second, and it is their responsibility to build programs that help students develop and hone these skills. Strong library programs, which can only be offered in brick and mortar facilities, are essential to the educational process.

So while it might be tempting, in this harsh economic climate, to consider replacing school libraries with…what? Digital collections? There is no comparison between a library program and a digital collection because the missing element, the human component, the instructional piece, is lost. And without that, the digital collection will just go to waste. After all, who will teach students to reach out beyond the first ten hits in Google and a Wikipedia post?

Michelle Luhtala, Library Media Specialist
New Canaan High School, New Canaan, CT

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Permalink Reply by C. Williams on September 2, 2009 at 8:31pm

“Do schools still need brick and mortar libraries?
The answer is a resounding “yes” schools still need brick and mortar libraries. But mostly they need real librarians.
The examples given in the prompt for this article are all university libraries – top-level research libraries at that. Their mission is to provide resources for researchers already knowledgeable in the research process. With today’s technological resources available online, one might make a case for closing down the physical plant of University library.
But the mission of the school library is completely different from that of a research institution. The mission of the K-12 teacher librarian is to ensure that students are effective users of information and ideas. Our students need instruction. Far too many enter school without knowing how to search the Internet effectively or safely. Many of our students have no access to books at home. They have no computers at home. They certainly have no ability to make audio or video presentations or learn how to use web 2.0 tools. Even kids who can afford to own books or computers often never make it to the library or bookstore. For a huge number of students, the school library is their only contact with books, computers and other materials that they’ll need to succeed in today’s information rich environment. The teacher librarian teaches kids how to use tools of information, gives them books to read for school and for fun, and at the same time teaches teachers and administrators how to use the same resources in their classroom. Talk about “bang for your buck”! A school district gets a great deal when they have a strong school library. They get kids who grow up to go to Stanford, Princeton, or Harvard already knowing how to access resources before they walk through those doors.
“Ah ha!” You say, “but kids already know how to use the Internet – they’ve been using ever since they were three years old! They’re digital natives”. Alas, if only that were true. The majority of students can locate their social networking sites, games and other applications that are meaningful for them. But to locate the information they need for success in completing a complex school assignment is beyond many of them. The brick and mortar school library is still very important to these growing learners.
K-12 Kids need to be surrounded with good books and the tools to complete tasks whether they’re school assignments or whether they’re following a personal dream. A strong school library can provide the materials, the space and the instructions that growing kids need in order to practice what they learn in the classroom. A teacher librarian with support staff and a rich school library collection builds strong students who achieve academically, socially and personally. Our students need strong school libraries.

Connie Williams
Teacher Librarian
Petaluma High School
President,
California School Library Association



Michelle Luhtala said:

Remember when you could call a business on the telephone and a human being would answer? Are you overcome by a wave of nostalgia just thinking about it? Phone trees are efficient and cost effective, from a business perspective, but they are dreadful for consumers. Customer service requires a human touch. Subjectivity, empathy, clarifying questions, all help consumers feel as though there is someone on their side. Computers just can’t do that. This is why digital libraries will never be able to replace brick and mortar libraries.

It can be argued that print collections and digital collections are relatively comparable. Each has its own unique set of pros and cons. Several users can access digital materials simultaneously, they can use them on or off site, and they can search them by keyword. Print materials are portable, and don’t rely on Internet connectivity. They allow non-wired patrons to use resources, thereby democratizing access to information. But overall, it cannot be said that one format is universally better than the other. They are both important for different reasons.

So the brick and mortar/digital debate for libraries has to go deeper than format. And it comes down to people. Libraries provide more than collections. They provide services and most of those services cannot be performed by computers. Or at least computers cannot meet patron needs any better than phone trees can answer customer calls. Would it be cheaper to have only digital libraries? Probably. But somehow the consumer was left out of the “crossover to phone tree” decision. And before we start implementing the “crossover to digital libraries” decision, we need to consider the other costs – those to patrons. This is particularly important in schools.

In schools, classroom teachers are more burdened than ever and students are, thanks to their experience as digital natives, lazier than ever – it’s not their fault. Advances in information technology have made locating information too easy for them. Moreover, students are not typically discriminating researchers. They need extensive instruction on resource evaluation and citation. Classroom teachers have neither the time nor the inclination to teach these skills; yet, they rank very high on the list of most important exit skills in a k-12 program. School librarians are educators first, and librarians second, and it is their responsibility to build programs that help students develop and hone these skills. Strong library programs, which can only be offered in brick and mortar facilities, are essential to the educational process.

So while it might be tempting, in this harsh economic climate, to consider replacing school libraries with…what? Digital collections? There is no comparison between a library program and a digital collection because the missing element, the human component, the instructional piece, is lost. And without that, the digital collection will just go to waste. After all, who will teach students to reach out beyond the first ten hits in Google and a Wikipedia post?

Michelle Luhtala, Library Media Specialist
New Canaan High School, New Canaan, CT

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Permalink Reply by Andra Brichacek on September 4, 2009 at 12:26pm

Here's a recent story about a prep school that did away with their library but not their brick-and-mortar learning space.

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