2015, Community, Ebook, writing

eBooks and School Library Month–Celebrate October 2015!

eBooks and School Library Month - AlwaysReiding.com

Libraries have been my saving grace for such a long time. And I mean that in all entities—from public to private libraries. I worked at the school libraries during my study periods for almost five years. I met such wonderful, dedicated librarians at my school, and got the inside scoop on some fantastic books. When I was asked asked by MyVoucherCodes to help celebrate School Library Month, I knew I wanted to help; I am here today to write about the importance of eBooks.

While it hasn’t been so long since I was in school, I can tell you that very few people even thought about electronic books. While there’s a smell and sensory memory associated with tangible library books, eBooks are going to help change the world!

Learning to read is an important phase of growing up. It is the one skill that, when honed, can set you apart for an amazing life ahead of you. We now have the technology wherein ebooks help young readers with new word definitions, as well as help to pronounce those new words. Now we no longer have to sit in a classroom, everyone reading the same, boring book and asking the one teacher twenty different questions from twenty different students. Students can interact with the eBooks on their own terms, so those who want a more tactile experience can learn by pressing on words they need more help with.

Once you discover the magic of reading, it is easy to go a little overboard. eBooks take the physical volume of books and reduce them drastically. Forget the ever-growing backpack volume that is very unhealthy. Having reading books and textbooks on the syllabus can insure backpacks stay within a reasonable weight, thanks to eBooks only weighing what the device weighs.

The best case for eBook usage is sustainability. eBooks allow for an opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint by mass producing books without the usage of paper from trees. And, when mistakes are made in an eBook, it is a matter of fixing the change electronically, and then connecting the device to either a wireless or wired network for the update—forget outdated, or incorrect information being passed onto children reading ‘factual’ information. An error in a textbook can be extremely costly for a company, and sometimes will not be changed until the next volume in one to two years.

While I never advocate any form of printed material ‘going away,’ I think that using eBooks in the classroom and School library are a great match. And you, too, can participate. For more information about the MyVoucherCodes School Library Month campaign, please visit the official International Association of School Librarianships website, as well as the page where MyVoucherCodes lists the Amazon eBook information.

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17 Comments

  1. Cynthia

    October 24, 2015 at 1:06 am

    Ebooks have their place but I will never give up the wonderful feel of a real book. Kids should have a balnce between the two. I’m not sure ebooks should replace the real thing in the classroom yet

    1. gothamgal

      October 24, 2015 at 3:00 am

      Thanks for stopping by, Cynthia.
      I am with you on the balance. I definitely see the pro aspects to putting them into places where it is hard to keep physical books. I hope physical books never get replaced, the feel and smell is so addictive.

  2. Kiersten Millican

    October 24, 2015 at 1:18 am

    I’m a fan of both. I have both old and new books for when I want to curl up with tea and a book, but I have tons of eBooks on my iPad for on the go reading! It’s too convenient to have a full library in your hand. 🙂

    1. gothamgal

      October 24, 2015 at 2:56 am

      I agree, Kiersten. I love both, I cannot believe the amounts of power we have at our fingertips! The iPad is my dedicated comic reader, and it’s SO NICE!
      Thanks for stopping by!

  3. Logan Can

    October 24, 2015 at 1:58 am

    I used to love going to the library! I no longer have a card, but I should really get one! It would save me so much money!

    1. gothamgal

      October 24, 2015 at 2:55 am

      Definitely get a card–it would be a great place for kids, too! Storytime and craft activities are usually the norm.
      Thank you for stopping by.

  4. Mar

    October 24, 2015 at 4:01 am

    Ebooks and ‘real’ books both have their place in the world! You have to keep up with technology, BUT you gotta stick to the classics.

  5. Michelle

    October 24, 2015 at 11:50 am

    I love both so i think a good balance between the two is key!

  6. Jen K

    October 24, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    My husband got me an ebook reader when they first came out. I do like it but just prefer printed books.

  7. Kirsten

    October 24, 2015 at 8:37 pm

    I am a fan of e-books, but I find myself gravitating to hard copies more often. For kids, I can see the advantage of saving trees and shelf space in a school library, but if an e-reader has games on it, I could see that being a distraction when kids are supposed to be reading. So I’m torn. I have two that love to read, one not so much. I think if an e-reader gets kids more excited to read, I guess that’s the way we should be headed.

  8. Susannah

    October 25, 2015 at 3:51 am

    I LOVE that I can get ebooks from the library! It saves so much of the “hassle” of getting to the actual building.

    1. gothamgal

      October 25, 2015 at 5:44 am

      Yes, I really like overdrive. Sometimes library trips just don’t happen.

  9. Ourfamilyworld

    October 25, 2015 at 5:50 am

    I love ebooks, but when I’m at home I still love to read my books. There’s something about the smell of new and old books that I love.

  10. Jenn

    October 25, 2015 at 6:26 am

    I like my reference books to be paper and my more recreational reading in digital form. This way the important info is still available in event of a massive, prolonged power outage.

  11. Jaclyn

    October 25, 2015 at 3:18 pm

    I’m still a sucker for a paper book, but I love that we have the ability to read on electronics now. You’re right, it’s going to change the face of reading. I work at Sylvan Learning Center and we use iPads to help the learning process! It’s amazing how much the kids love them!

  12. Cou

    October 26, 2015 at 2:42 am

    Ahhhhh such a love hate relationship with ebooks! Love the convenience but I do miss holding the actual book in my hand!

  13. Roxanne

    October 26, 2015 at 10:48 am

    Great points about sustainability! I’m sure it will allow for greater accessibility to books as well!

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