 |
| World Book Advertisement |
Ahh, the World Book Encyclopedia. This was the go-to spot for research in my day. We weren’t fortunate enough to own a set in our home, but I did notice when visiting friends' homes who were lucky enough to own a set. Imagine wondering about a topic on a whim and learning about it instantaneously. In my eyes, this was a sign of wealth not only monetarily but educationally. In those days, it was the most reliable source of information in my mind. I would leaf through the pages and find topics that surprised and intrigued me. I couldn’t fathom that sometime in the future, information would become outdated as quickly as it does now. This raises the question of the viability of print copies of such reference materials. Are they outdated before reaching the hands of those who rely on them for up-to-date information? Or are they essential ways to capture historical information in a permanent form?
For those who teach or whose job is to procure materials for our students, many factors must be considered when choosing the resources and the form in which we will purchase them. Cost, reliability of the source, age appropriateness and ease of use all need to be considered. While some would argue that purchasing everything digitally would best use our dollars and reduce the space needed to house these resources, I beg to differ.
While older students may have the necessary skills to use technology efficiently and are able to vet the validity of websites, these are barriers for younger students. I believe the needs of K-6 students are best served first with carefully curated quality print materials selected by their teachers and librarians who know them best. These students are beginning their journey with reading and are still trying to master many of its nuances of decoding, grammar, and comprehending what they are reading. This is the approach used in our classrooms where students physically interact with the book and the words and pictures held within it. Digital textbooks require additional technological skills that detract from the primary intent of teaching the child to read and understand what they are reading. “Young children have trouble with hierarchically structured information sites that require a specific sequence of behaviours and unstructured information environments containing distracting information links” (Reidling & Houston, 2019, p.12). Students need direct teaching and supervision to master these skills. Print resources within the library itself help teachers and librarians provide “instruction or guidance reference services to teach or direct students to locate information themselves. It provides them with an understanding of reference tools and techniques, their correct usage, and how the library and information are organized” (Reidling & Houston, 2019, p.6).
 |
| The World Book Encyclopedia Collection |
The library learning commons is intended to bring the community together. This is evident when I see kids turning the globe to find far-off lands or a group of students using a communal set of books to complete a group project. The chatter, the discussion, and the joy I hear in their voices are much different than the quiet stillness I hear when they are individually using Chromebooks to do research. It is a bonding experience teaching social and academic skills within the classroom. We, as humans, are social creatures, after all. Interacting with the library space is essential instead of sequestering ourselves into classrooms all day. It is to be a vibrant place of learning, not simply an access point for books. “For school librarians, reference services are more than just information skills or activities; these services represent significant and meaningful engagement in a profoundly human activity, ministering to one of the most basic needs of humans- the desire to gain knowledge” (Reidling & Houston, 2019, p.3).
  |
| Children Working Together |
For these reasons and others, my elementary-level learning commons will continue to house print reference materials rather than converting them into digital resources only. I believe that print and digital skills are essential at different stages of one's development, and it is important to have a firm grasp of how to interact with both. Older reference books also help us preserve our history, see where we were, and compare it with where we now are. Digital resources are updated regularly, leaving no former knowledge in a permanent form to be discussed later.
Will there come a day when books no longer exist in their current form? Perhaps so, but I, for one, hope this will not be the case. The World Book Encyclopedia and many others add so much to education, and I think that not having them around someday would be not only a shame but a missed opportunity.
