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Frashavan
The end of book culture
Mon Jun 4, 2012 18:14
74.15.71.3

I had a chat with the school librarian, today. She was telling me that the Board wanted her to do yet another weeding of her stacks. One of the items they wanted her to ditch was a collection of law reports covering a good 25 years; she defended them and, to the disbelief of the consultant, said that the law teacher (moi) often made use of them with his class -- which is very true.

The consultants want the stacks gone, and more space, so the library is more of "a people place." Honestly, the last thing the school needs is a larger space i which students can hang out and skip class, but I digress.

This has been a noticeable trend for a while, in school libraries; the book is being ditched for the internet. Of course, kids don't change; most adolescents when I was in high school weren't actually up to the challenge of doing research in books; I have yet to see a student's internet research that was even close to equivalent to what they did 20 years ago with books. Yes, they can access more material, but that isn't what they need, really. A small amount of material they can wrap their brains around is better than the secrets of the universe that they fail to grasp.

Is this what the future holds, then? The end of book-based culture, which is replaced by every more simplistic and superficial electronic gimcracks and techno flim-flam? I find it depressing...

  • It's a crying shame — MN_Morgan, Mon Jun 11 15:45
    I remember when we had to do two research papers in my 11th grade year in High School (when my English teacher actually bothered with me to teach proper research methods). I have ADD so it's hard for ... more
  • the Library now — sai ram, Mon Jun 4 23:04
    is an expensive place.....now with the internet....I see it going the way of the horse and buggy....of course this will get Carnegie spinning in his grave....but when government spending comes to a... more
    • ... as will taxation on all purchases on-line ... — Baruch, Tue Jun 5 03:16
      and an Internet access tax. Death and taxes. Shalom
      • Of course — sai ram, Tue Jun 5 09:08
        and the gov. viewing everything to make sure the taxes are paid....amoung other things..........sai ram
    • expenses — Mirage, Tue Jun 5 00:36
      I would imagine school computer labs might start looking expensive too at that point. Maintaining athletics fields, too. Art classes are already being eliminated. Where my husband grew up, they... more
      • Here in Broken Arrow, OK — sai ram, Tue Jun 5 09:14
        they spend a large amount getting help for the Hispanic kids in school.....special teachers..etc.....but no other minority gets this treatment....we also have children almost competely comatose... more
        • I have to disagree — Frashavan, Tue Jun 5 19:58
          As the parent of children with special needs, I know that integrating them into the regular school makes a big difference in their lives. Eli is desperate to be friends with other, "normal" kids and... more
          • Well — sai ram, Tue Jun 5 20:47
            I'll tell you what is disgusting.....to place a handicapped child in with normal children (whatever normal is) and having the normal child making fun of the handicapped child.....children can be very ... more
            • Lack of funds for schools ... — Baruch, Tue Jun 5 21:36
              shouldn't be balanced on the backs of those handicapped who can benefit from it. There are ways to teach more cheaply, particularly in college and the upper grades, inertia is preventing the... more
              • The problem is — sai ram, Tue Jun 5 22:23
                the Judge who ruled that everyone should be in the school system.....didn't make exceptions for the severely handicapped...one rule fits all....no common sense allowed...so we have some children who... more
                • My ex did public school for three years ... — Baruch, Wed Jun 6 05:27
                  two with Hispanics, and one with Blacks. Which do you think was more difficult? Life isn't fair ... you want fair, get communism. If the judge is elected, then be sure and un-elect the idiot. We... more
        • Yes, that was a hard decision ... — Baruch, Tue Jun 5 17:47
          they mainstreamed at risk kids, the same way they took all the nuts out of the community sanitarium and placed them in safe houses in the community. I am not sure either program has worked as... more
      • There is a growing sentiment that... — Frashavan, Tue Jun 5 08:16
        ... public money should not be used for education at all. Most people don't come right out and say it, but when you think of all the things they advocate in regard to education, that will be the net... more
        • Tas payer revolt ... — Baruch, Tue Jun 5 17:41
          I will pay for my family and myself only ... not for anyone else or another's family, including someone else's kids. Now there is a good argument for universal education and for public education,... more
          • The spirit behind Western Civilization... — Kasey, Wed Jun 6 06:09
            has been generated by basically "free" universal education for the masses, while the privileged can pay for their private school one, or at least get some state aid in some nations. Madrassas et al... more
            • Originally Catholic parochial schools ... — Baruch, Wed Jun 6 12:43
              were seen the same way, but after four generations that fear has diminished, but then the immediate threat from Catholicism (internally to a country) has also diminished. Americans were much more... more
              • In Australia, the rise of secularism as a attitude plus.... — Kasey, Wed Jun 6 17:46
                he prg by the RC church to increase its population via various means here and the tolerant general attitude has eliminated the concept of a "Catholic" threat to our society. The cosmopolital nature... more
                • No Overnight Fix — Mirage, Thu Jun 7 23:25
                  The first thing Australia needs to do is figure out whether you can actually prevent illegal immigration. If not, you need to face that and plan accordingly. For example, no matter what has been... more
  • I take it you mean physical books? — Mirage, Mon Jun 4 20:47
    I will admit that I really don't want a Kindle. My sister has an iPad, and the iBooks feel a bit more book-like but it's a bad trend really because with all those eBooks you don't really even own... more
    • The smell of physical books — MN_Morgan, Mon Jun 11 15:41
      If anything ever had a holiness about it, it is the Library. I'd swear it was a temple to the written word. The only reason I'd like to get an e-book is if it would give me more access to the books... more
      • My two favorite places as a boy were ... — Baruch, Mon Jun 11 18:02
        the school library (Jr High and Sr High and College), and the city library. Definitely back in the day, making a ruckus in any library, would get you ejected quickly. Shalom
    • I got an e-reader as a present — Frashavan, Tue Jun 5 08:20
      I have read a few books on it, but I'm not in love with them. It's hard to keep your place, hard to find your place if you lose it. The problem is that younger people find it increasingly difficult... more
      • During hard times ... — Baruch, Tue Jun 5 17:33
        people prefer escapism in their entertainment ... hence all the super-hero movies. Hard to find, even in good times, someone who will wade thru "Being & Nothingness" by Sartre ... I know, I tried ;-) ... more
  • Probably just bean counters ... — Baruch, Mon Jun 4 20:04
    lay off all the administrators ... and keep the library. We have the same thing at my place of work, technology will save us, and give us a free lunch. I like the Internet, as a supplement to books.... more
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