Do School Libraries Need to Have Books?

TVOParents Your Voice (May 23, 2010). Do school libraries need to have books?. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ULqg9qsbg7o?t=8m41s

A panel interview with Toronto librarians discusses whether books are still necessary in the age of digitization.  Are school libraries full of books an old fashioned notion?  These librarians say definitely no!  Variety of materials and library spaces that encourage imagination, ideas, creativity and most of all a love of reading is purported as the foundation of a strong school library.  Start watching at 8:39 to see the interviewees delve deeper into this topic.  While this video was hosted in 2010, nearly six years later I see the same pressures affecting school librarians and school library programs.  It is important to weigh the pros and cons of each type of format, whether print or digital, ideally having both to build an information/idea rich environment.  The other important aspect is taking stock in what patrons need and want when considering digital vs. print materials.

J. Hasselberger
Spring 2016

The Nation's First Fully Digital Public Library

Hays, A. (2014, April). The Nation’s First Fully Digital Public Library: How a Texas County Made it Happen. Retrieved from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2014/05/the-nations-first-fully-digital-public-library-how-a-texas-county-made-it-happen/

Summary:

This article discussed the opening of a completely digital library in San Antonio, Texas. The library is the first of its kind in the United States and it open its doors in September of 2013. This library’s collection is entirely digital. There are IPad, e-readers, laptops, computers, and interactive tables for community members to access their collection. The library also includes community activity rooms, group study rooms, and a cafe. There is Wi-Fi connection available within the library so that library patrons can access the digital collections. There is not one book in the entire library. 

Evaluation:

This new digital library is a first picture of what 21st-century libraries could look like as libraries become more modernized.  Collections have increasingly become digital and this public libraries bold jump to an entirely digital collection demonstrates to other libraries that they can still be relevant in a digital age. This library's collection is a blueprint for libraries of the future to follow. Libraries cannot meet the needs of modern users with the traditional print format. Libraries need to reimagine and reenvisions themselves in the 21st-century. 

The Bookless Library

Kumar, Amy

NPR. (January 15, 2013). A New Chapter? A Launch Of The Bookless Library. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2013/01/15/169412670/a-new-chapter-a-launch-of-the-bookless-library

Summary
One of the recent trends in the library world is the rise of the bookless library. Compared to an Apple Store, these bookless libraries feature personal computer stations, laptops, tablets, and pre-loaded e-readers, along with various other digital resources. Such a library has opened in San Antiono, at the cost of $1.5 million and is located in a community with little access to technology. While this new move has both opponents and proponents, the idea behind it is to bridge the digital divide and provide access to digital resources to those who do not have such access at home.

Evaluation
While I certainly appreciate any attempts at bridging the digital divide, libraries can always create areas within the existing collection where this is possible without the loss of books and other reading materials. One aspect that is lost when non-digital collections are made away with is browseability. The joy of finding materials through browsing is replaced by having to know exactly what one is looking for in order to locate it digitally. Also, while I agree that digital resources are a must in the modern era, there is no reason to replace one avenue of learning with another. As there are multiple forms of literacy, libraries must provide multiple resource formats. We cannot assume that the public can or should only get their information in one format, just as we cannot insist that libraries remain as hard-copy repositories forever. While the bookless collection is an innovative idea, it stops short of a truly inclusive community resource.