As districts increasingly move to digital content, many school leaders are chucking printed textbooks in favor of the more interactive content that eBooks and digital texts can offer.
Ann Fondren, retired district library coordinator for Spotsylvania County Schools (Va.), outlined a number of key considerations district library media specialists and administrators must keep in mind as they move to eBooks.
"I believe it's eBooks and print books that can live quite happily in your library," Fondren said. "eBooks are just another format to enhance our collections--I don't believe eBooks eliminate the need for print books or will anytime soon."
Recent data from Scholastic indicates that the percentage of children who have read an eBook has almost doubled since 2010--25 percent versus 46 percent. Half of children ages 9-17 said they would read more book for fun if they had greater access to eBooks.
Students also have indicated that they are less sensitive about their reading abilities when they are reading an eBook, because their peers can't tell if they are reading below grade level.
1. Read an eBook
"Even if you're a purist, and you want to remain loyal to print books, you need to read a variety of eBooks to see what it's like before you start introducing them to your kids," Fondren said. It's also a good idea to read a book on any devices you might be considering, too.
2. Research eBook best practices
"Do what we all do best--research to see what others are doing. We don't all have to reinvent the wheel." ALA has a strong eBook resource
3. Identify and outline goals and objectives to be realized by adding eBooks to your school library
"If your answer is, 'I don't know,' you probably need to go back and do a little more research before you move on," Fondren said. Student preference, providing another reading format, providing curriculum support, and professional reading resources are all good reasons to add eBooks to a school library collection.
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