Digital Texts in Schools and Challenges

Wilson, Shibrie

Harris, C. (2012). Ebooks and School Libraries. American Libraries. Retrieved from http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2012/01/13/ebooks-and-school-libraries/

There is a constant struggle amongst school libraries to remain relevant with other libraries, such as academic and public. Many libraries adopt ebooks in an effort to replace print materials due to cost. For different materials certain materials such as reference materials are becoming accessible online. Many ebooks for reference materials are being changed in order to meet Common Cores State Standards. Different things being implemented such as maps, timelines, and primary-source documents. Schools have access to different publishers and vendors and these corporations are working diligently to provide "consortia-access pricing."The issue that schools are dealing with is finding programs in which provide bulk discounts on e-readers for school libraries, being that many things are sold individually. Students with special needs are also a dominant factor in consideration of ebooks in school libraries. Different things in which will accommodate students with special needs is that of "text-to-speech enhancement with read-along highlighting to students with a qualifying print or vessel disability." Some publishers are also providing materials for those who are have different reading levels. 

Opinion:

Ebooks is something continues to resurface in many blog topics. Can and will ebooks cause books to be obsolete to 21st century library? I do like the idea of ebooks benefiting students with special needs, and is something that I had not taken into consideration before. Purchasing ebooks in bulk is an issue and a reason in which the library in which I work at has an issue with purchasing such.