We all have those moments in our careers that stay with us for a long, long time. I have several but the #blogamonth topic focusing on our own personal educational soapboxes brings me to one of my memorable career moments. I could have chosen several topics but I am choosing to focus on ebooks vs. print books for a couple of reasons: 1)As mentioned, I had a memorable career-related moment surrounding this topic and 2)School librarians could be more vocal about the value of print books in a digital society. I'll begin with my "moment".
In 2010, I had the great pleasure of attending the American Library Association's Annual Conference at which Toni Morrison, one of my most "beloved" authors, was delivering a keynote speech. It was everything I could have hoped it to be. She was incredible. She was speaking on the cusp of the ebook revolution so it was only natural that she address this hot topic within her keynote. In doing so, she reminded us that there is a time and a place for everything. Similarly, there is a time and a place for eBooks. The time is certainly now but the place is not necessarily everywhere. We read for many reasons. We read to escape. We read to learn. We read to explore. We read to connect. We read to travel. We read to pass the time. For these reasons and more, ebooks cannot replace print books. Ebooks help supplement. When reading a lengthy book before a long trip, it is nice to throw a Kindle in your travel bag knowing that there is backup reading on hand. Ebooks help preserve. Ebooks give us the chance to capture books that we hold dearly but that we wish to tuck away. Ebooks make reading colorful. Seeing the vibrant colors from favorite illustrators reflect off the screen can be enchanting. Ebooks are practical. As someone who purchases books for children's book clubs, having the option to purchase digital copies for check out verses taking up physical shelf space saves room for more variety.
Ebooks cannot however replace the feeling that a reader gets when they are reading a specific typeface as carefully selected by the author to evoke a feeling. They cannot replace the feel of the turn of the pages for a reader who best discovers the world in a tactile experience. Ebooks do not make it easy to refer back to a previous specific event in the story to facilitate connections. Ebooks do not make it easy to share a favorite read with a friend. Ebooks do not make it easy to judge a book by its cover. Simply put, ebooks cannot and will not replace the feeling that emerges when turning the pages of a physical book. As with many things in life and as Toni Morrison stated back in 2010, there is a time and a place.
In 2010, I had the great pleasure of attending the American Library Association's Annual Conference at which Toni Morrison, one of my most "beloved" authors, was delivering a keynote speech. It was everything I could have hoped it to be. She was incredible. She was speaking on the cusp of the ebook revolution so it was only natural that she address this hot topic within her keynote. In doing so, she reminded us that there is a time and a place for everything. Similarly, there is a time and a place for eBooks. The time is certainly now but the place is not necessarily everywhere. We read for many reasons. We read to escape. We read to learn. We read to explore. We read to connect. We read to travel. We read to pass the time. For these reasons and more, ebooks cannot replace print books. Ebooks help supplement. When reading a lengthy book before a long trip, it is nice to throw a Kindle in your travel bag knowing that there is backup reading on hand. Ebooks help preserve. Ebooks give us the chance to capture books that we hold dearly but that we wish to tuck away. Ebooks make reading colorful. Seeing the vibrant colors from favorite illustrators reflect off the screen can be enchanting. Ebooks are practical. As someone who purchases books for children's book clubs, having the option to purchase digital copies for check out verses taking up physical shelf space saves room for more variety.
Ebooks cannot however replace the feeling that a reader gets when they are reading a specific typeface as carefully selected by the author to evoke a feeling. They cannot replace the feel of the turn of the pages for a reader who best discovers the world in a tactile experience. Ebooks do not make it easy to refer back to a previous specific event in the story to facilitate connections. Ebooks do not make it easy to share a favorite read with a friend. Ebooks do not make it easy to judge a book by its cover. Simply put, ebooks cannot and will not replace the feeling that emerges when turning the pages of a physical book. As with many things in life and as Toni Morrison stated back in 2010, there is a time and a place.
