|
|
|
East Peoria Community High School students may soon have the opportunity to swap printed books, magazines and newspapers for their electronic counterparts.
Charles Atteberry, the library specialist at EPCHS, is hoping to make eReaders available to students as soon as the start of the 2011-12 school year.
“More schools in the Chicago area are making big leaps in technology for their students,” Atteberry said. “So I figured, why not East Peoria?”
While Atteberry is not attempting to completely digitize the school library at this time, he said he hopes to secure funding to provide up to six eReaders for in-library and in-class student use.
Atteberry, who has not selected a brand or vendor for the eReaders, said his motive is to keep students interested in the library.
“One of the things I’ve been trying to do here is to try to show students that libraries are still a relevant part of their lives,” he said. “I think having these devices would add to that effort. We try not to get something just because it is a novelty, but if it does spark an interest in reading, then all the better.”
Atteberry said he expects at least a portion of the funding for the eReaders to come in the form of grants. He said he would also apply some of the funds the library receives for book purchasing toward the eReaders.
He added that the library’s costs could be reduced by purchasing eReaders.
“With Kindles and Nooks, at least, I know one of the advantages is you can share titles with up to six devices,” Atteberry said. “That includes computers, iPads and other eReaders. By sharing titles there is more benefit for the money you spend.”
Nooks sell for $149 each at Barnes and Noble, while Kindles can be purchased on Amazon.com for $139 apiece. The prices do not include the cost of purchasing electronic texts, which are typically less expensive than printed versions.
An added advantage that Atteberry noted is that it is easy to fulfill book requests and get rid of material that is outdated or not used.
Besides offering students an updated electronic format for reading books, magazines and newspapers, many eReaders allow users to find definitions for unknown words, electronically bookmark pages, highlight text and make notes without permanently marking up the margins as would be true with printed material.
“They have Internet capability,” Atteberry said. “So under the supervision of teachers, that’s something that can be utilized also.”
East Peoria Community High School students may soon have the opportunity to swap printed books, magazines and newspapers for their electronic counterparts.
Charles Atteberry, the library specialist at EPCHS, is hoping to make eReaders available to students as soon as the start of the 2011-12 school year.
“More schools in the Chicago area are making big leaps in technology for their students,” Atteberry said. “So I figured, why not East Peoria?”
While Atteberry is not attempting to completely digitize the school library at this time, he said he hopes to secure funding to provide up to six eReaders for in-library and in-class student use.
Atteberry, who has not selected a brand or vendor for the eReaders, said his motive is to keep students interested in the library.
“One of the things I’ve been trying to do here is to try to show students that libraries are still a relevant part of their lives,” he said. “I think having these devices would add to that effort. We try not to get something just because it is a novelty, but if it does spark an interest in reading, then all the better.”
Atteberry said he expects at least a portion of the funding for the eReaders to come in the form of grants. He said he would also apply some of the funds the library receives for book purchasing toward the eReaders.
He added that the library’s costs could be reduced by purchasing eReaders.
“With Kindles and Nooks, at least, I know one of the advantages is you can share titles with up to six devices,” Atteberry said. “That includes computers, iPads and other eReaders. By sharing titles there is more benefit for the money you spend.”
Nooks sell for $149 each at Barnes and Noble, while Kindles can be purchased on Amazon.com for $139 apiece. The prices do not include the cost of purchasing electronic texts, which are typically less expensive than printed versions.
An added advantage that Atteberry noted is that it is easy to fulfill book requests and get rid of material that is outdated or not used.
Besides offering students an updated electronic format for reading books, magazines and newspapers, many eReaders allow users to find definitions for unknown words, electronically bookmark pages, highlight text and make notes without permanently marking up the margins as would be true with printed material.
“They have Internet capability,” Atteberry said. “So under the supervision of teachers, that’s something that can be utilized also.”
Library staff would be in charge of loading content to make sure “everything’s appropriate.” Inappropriate material would be disabled and password protected.
One of the biggest issues in providing the new technology to the students is the risk of damage. Atteberry said the library would be able to purchase insurance and have students sign agreements stating that they are responsible for the eReaders if damaged in their care.
“We have some books that cost upwards of $30 or $40, and they could just as easily damage those if they are responsible for them. And if they took five or so books out, that can really add up.”
Atteberry said the school’s administration is open to technology changes, provided the funding is available.
The students he has spoken with also seem to be interested in the new technology, he said.
“I think in the foreseeable future we could have a pretty good combination of books and eReaders,” he said. “For now we’d like to have a balance of the two formats and see where the times take us.
“Now, we’re just trying to shorten the distance between dream and reality.”
