library budget cuts laura byrd

A blessed companion is a book, - a book that, fitly chosen, is a lifelong friend,... a book that, at a touch, pours its heart into our own.  ~Douglas Jerrold

BOOKS VS INTERNETOne of the fiercest battles being waged these days in American schools involves

the annual book budget. (Minkel)

LETS CONSIDER THE FOLLOWINGFACTS ABOUT BOOKS:

Book sales in the U.S. are increasing. (Hartzell)

Pleasure reading or Free Voluntary Reading is a most powerful tool in language education. (Krashen)

Evidence indicates that providing students time for pleasure reading enhances reading comprehension test scores.

Reading for pleasure creates life-long readers. (Krashen)

As a student reads they begin to comprehend more of what they read which in turn leads to more reading.

Life-long readers develop from the knowledge that reading can enhance one’s life.

INFORMATION LITERACY

…is the ability to find and use information and is the keystone of lifelong learning.

…is the ability to access, evaluate and use information from a variety of sources. (Thompson & Henley)

GOALS 2000An adoption of Goals 2000 of the American Association of School Librarians has made it a goal for the SLMS to create life-long readers. (AASLA)

This goal requires books!

FACTS ABOUT RESEARCH USING PRINT RESOURCES

Research demonstrates the value of a balanced collection in the Media Center, particularly the value of print resources. (Hartzell)

With a book, it is easier to glean information than to drown in the deluge of data unleashed by search engines.

NOW CONSIDER THE INTERNET:

There is an enormous amount of information on the internet, many times it is overwhelming to the student.

(Skurzynski)

Not everything on the internet is accurate.

The cost of computers and the supporting equipment needed is expensive.

Computers and software have limitations and require constant updates.

Reading from a computer screen is 30% slower reading than from printed resources.

(Anderson)

Many students will print copies of their material when doing a research project, thus adding to the cost.

Many students do not have access to computers outside of school.

Checking out a book means total access!

READING PROMOTESREADING!

~A book is like a garden carried in the pocket ~ Chinese proverb

Works CitedAmerican Library Association. Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning.

Chicago: American Library Association, 1998. 26.

Anderson, Julie. “Give Print a Chance.” School Library Journal. February 2001. 37.

Hartzell, Gary. “Paper Lion: in a battle of print and electronic resources, there’s only one king.” School Library Journal. September 2002. 37.

Krashen, Stephen D. The Power of Reading. 2nd ed. London: Heinemann Publishers, 2004. 1-9.

Minkel, Walter. “The Medium Is Not the Message.” School Library Journal. September 2000. 49.

Skurzynski, Gloria. “Paper and Photons: The Future of Information”. School Library Journal. October 1998. 48.

Thompson, Helen M. and Susan A. Henley. Fostering Information Literacy. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 2000.