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School Library Goes Entirely Digital

post #1 of 39
9/9/09 at 11:28am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Cushing Academy, the nation’s oldest co-ed boarding school, hopes to be a model for 21-century learning by getting rid of its entire library print collection.
The 144-year-old school, located near Boston in Ashburnham, MA, is giving away or tossing its 20,000 book collection for 18 digital readers, enhanced electronic databases, flat-screen TVs, and laptop-equipped study cubicles—at a cost of about $500,000.

"Students never open a book in the library," Tracy told School Library Journal, pointing to an in-house study that shows an average of 48 books in circulation on any given day, 30 of which are juvenile books checked out by the children of faculty members.

About half of the library’s 20,000-book collection already has been donated to the libraries of nearby schools in low-income areas, and the remainder will be withdrawn from the collection this year, Tracy says.

Tracy defends the move. "We are passionate bibliophiles," he says, explaining that the move will give students access to millions of e-books. "Students can still go to Barnes & Noble if the want to be surrounded by books."
Full article:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/...?desc=topstory

I love books and there are many printed volumes that haven't been (and will probably never be) converted to digital.
But they say the books aren't being used. And I also like the idea of sending them to other needy schools.
What say you, Zooey?
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post #2 of 39
9/9/09 at 11:33am
Here's an interesting editorial/paper about the direction of the public library.

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/~howard/Papers/peters.html
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post #3 of 39
9/9/09 at 3:08pm
I say I'd really, really like to know where the librarian was in all this. She's quoted in the article bemoaning the loss of the print collection, but that's it. I'd argue that, from a professional standpoint, she dropped the ball in a big way.

It's less the books themselves and more the principle of the thing. By removing the print collection and replacing it with a coffee shop and some Kindles, the school is leaving its students woefully underprepared to succeed as intelligent, informed adults. Believe me, I see the end product of students who aren't exposed to information in its myriad forms when they're in primary and secondary school. Their critical thinking skills are underdeveloped, their basic literacy suffers, and, frankly, this lack tends to make them more incurious and less confident than their classmates. It's a shame.
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post #4 of 39
9/9/09 at 3:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HBarr View Post
Here's an interesting editorial/paper about the direction of the public library.

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/~howard/Papers/peters.html
Really great article.

Quote:
The library is an integral part of the society that surrounds it. It is shaped and changed by many of the same forces that shape other types of institutions. Librarians need to recognize the changes that have already taken place in libraries, and to be aware of the ways in which broader societal changes are affecting other institutions. Then (rather than sitting idly by and passively observing the evolution of the library as an institution) they need to use this knowledge to actively reshape the library. If librarians do not become involved in this reshaping, key principles from librarianship may disappear in the library of the future.

Because many library functions will migrate to other environments (and because libraries are affected by the society around them), librarians must resist the types of changes that threaten basic principles such as equal access to information and fair use.
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post #5 of 39
9/9/09 at 3:14pm
Call em an old cynic. But there really is nothing like grabbing an old book and leafing through the pages. Digital media, with all it's bells and whistles still presents a "detached" form of interaction.
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post #6 of 39
9/9/09 at 3:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billylove View Post
Call em an old cynic. But there really is nothing like grabbing an old book and leafing through the pages. Digital media, with all it's bells and whistles still presents a "detached" form of interaction.
As a new Kindle convert, I can safely say the two experiences do not have to be mutually exclusive. Both the book and an e-reader/netbook/PC are incredible tools with their own distinct advantages and disadvantages. Whoever made this decision not only did not get this memo; they don't understand what the very concept of a "library" is or just what it is librarians do.

It's exactly the kind of dichotomous thinking a library without books will engender.
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post #7 of 39
9/9/09 at 3:44pm
Yeah, this is the worst idea.
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post #8 of 39
9/9/09 at 3:52pm
There's a digital library right under my office. It's called a Starbuck.
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post #9 of 39
9/9/09 at 3:56pm
They'll probably start selling scones at that library soon.
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post #10 of 39
9/9/09 at 4:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billylove View Post
They'll probably start selling scones at that library soon.
My hometown library (in Bettendorf, IA) already does. There's a Starbucks inside the building.

Not to mention the NYPL.
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post #11 of 39
9/10/09 at 1:58am
So the same kids that aren't reading books are going to read ebooks?
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post #12 of 39
9/11/09 at 2:05pm
This is funny to me because one of my close friends went to Cushing. She's not that smart, and even though I love her I have a very low opinion of the boarding school she went to and the education she received from it (which I've determined, from stories she's told me, is no better than but possibly worse than the education I received from a S. FL public school). Also I've befriended one other guy who went there and he while he's a good person overall he reinforced the notion that Cushing is basically an expensive babysitter for rich delinquent children.

So I guess the moral of the story is digitization of libraries is good, expensive boarding schools can be wastes of money.
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post #13 of 39
9/11/09 at 2:09pm
I seriously kinda hate this article, if only because there are few things more awesome than finding a new library and browsing the shelves for hours.
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post #14 of 39
9/11/09 at 2:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jake View Post
I seriously kinda hate this article, if only because there are few things more awesome than finding a new library and browsing the shelves for hours.
Geezer!
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post #15 of 39
9/11/09 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bendrix View Post
My hometown library (in Bettendorf, IA) already does. There's a Starbucks inside the building.

Not to mention the NYPL.
There's a (university-owned) coffee shop with scones and stuff in the campus library here, too. I don't think having this stuff around is all that bad an idea, especially in academic libraries where students are encouraged to study for long periods of time.

I'd have some problems with a giant corporate entity like Starbucks setting up shop, for sure, but having accessible food and drink seems to be sort of a good thing in this scenario.

I'm taking a collection management course this semester - I suspect that Cushing Academy is going to come up more than a few times.
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post #16 of 39
9/11/09 at 2:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bendrix View Post
Geezer!
*farts dust, dies of a heart attack in the "European Erotica" subsection*

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
There's a (university-owned) coffee shop with scones and stuff in the campus library here, too. I don't think having this stuff around is all that bad an idea, especially in academic libraries where students are encouraged to study for long periods of time.

I'd have some problems with a giant corporate entity like Starbucks setting up shop, for sure, but having accessible food and drink seems to be sort of a good thing in this scenario.

I'm taking a collection management course this semester - I suspect that Cushing Academy is going to come up more than a few times.
This is kinda out of left field, but is there ever any discussion of corporate sponsorship of libraries at any point amongst your people? For some reason the Starbucks thing gave me this awful mental picture of an Idiocracy-Lite version of the Pizza Hut Library. I'm pretty ignorant of how libraries run beyond "go get book, read book, treat book nicely, give it back, donate money as much as possible".
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post #17 of 39
9/11/09 at 3:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jake View Post
This is kinda out of left field, but is there ever any discussion of corporate sponsorship of libraries at any point amongst your people? For some reason the Starbucks thing gave me this awful mental picture of an Idiocracy-Lite version of the Pizza Hut Library. I'm pretty ignorant of how libraries run beyond "go get book, read book, treat book nicely, give it back, donate money as much as possible".
I can't imagine that most corporations would want a part of libraries in that sense when it's far more profitable to sell. We've become an increasingly acquisitive culture, too, so it's relatively easy to convince people that they need to own shiny new stuff - why confuse the issue by giving them the option of accessing the same stuff for free, but only temporarily?

The corporatization of libraries is generally kind of more behind-the-scenes (outsourcing for cataloging and collection development, etc.), but prevalent. Even more troublesome, the corporatization has leaked into the profession, itself, in pretty big ways. For instance, there's an increasing tendency among librarians to use business-speak (referring to patrons as customers, etc.) that's not only inaccurate, but essentially a betrayal of the principles of the profession. Libraries don't "sell" you information.
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post #18 of 39
9/11/09 at 6:13pm
Oh, I wouldn't have any issues with a coffee bar in the library, or adjacent to it - even a big daddy like Starbucks. But you know - keep the actual books. One has nothing to do with the other.

It's like iTunes, I guess - I have nothing against digital music - I'm shopping around for a new iPod as we speak. My boyfriend, on the other hand, is strictly a vinyl guy - CDs are the newest technology he'll get into. But I can relate to that, because I'm the same way about books. I have no interest in looking at or getting a Kindle. I'm not intrigued when I see people reading them on the subway. I agree with Jake - there's nothing better than flipping through the actual pages of a book. You can only "curl up on a rainy day" with new technology up to a certain point.
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post #19 of 39
9/11/09 at 6:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LisaNY View Post
You can only "curl up on a rainy day" with new technology up to a certain point.
Then the batteries run out.
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post #20 of 39
9/11/09 at 7:04pm
True confessions - I subtly brainwashed DaveB into applying to library school to so that he might save me the trouble of having to chime in on bookish CHUD threads. Do picture me cackling evilly and stroking an angora cat.

The slow leak of corporatist impulses into libraryland is one of my chief professional pet peeves. A kitten dies every time one of my colleagues calls a patron a "customer." I'll refer all of you back up to Dave's post, though. He made the point so well, I've got nothing to add. :: more cackling, more kitty pets ::

Romanticizing the physicality of books is only going to get us so far. I mean, I agree with everyone who's stressing the sheer loveliness of holding a book in your hands, but there are more air-tight ways to make an argument in favor of print. Like this.
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post #21 of 39
9/11/09 at 8:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billylove View Post
Then the batteries run out.
Goddamn, I just walked right into that one, didn't I?
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post #22 of 39
9/13/09 at 5:12pm

Re: School Library Goes Entirely Digital

The problem with going entirely digital is that there is alot of books that are not in digital format.

I'd also like to know, if they had anybody come in, even on a voluntary basis, and appraise the books in the library. If the library is as old as the school, there might be some value in some of the older books.
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post #23 of 39
9/13/09 at 5:45pm
I have nothing against the digitization of books, but only as an addendum. The problem is in sheer volume. Anytime there's a shift in format (see the various forms of home video), some lesser-known works are lost in the shuffle. And there we're talking about formats that were only around for a handful of years. Book have been piling up for centuries. There are literally tons of books that would have to be scanned and stored for this transition.

I have no doubt that there will come a day when the majority of reading is done on electronic media. But there's an awful lot of backlog, and I don't see it happening in our lifetimes. I'm frightened by the idea that we'll get too far ahead of ourselves, and the vast majority of reading will be new works, simply because that's all that's readily available.
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post #24 of 39
9/13/09 at 6:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheLurkerKing View Post
The problem with going entirely digital is that there is alot of books that are not in digital format.

I'd also like to know, if they had anybody come in, even on a voluntary basis, and appraise the books in the library. If the library is as old as the school, there might be some value in some of the older books.
Not meant as an attack here, but I think the fact that you use the term "value" to imply "financial value" is indicative of the larger problem with this whole thing. Of course, the books have value - the monetary value was irrelevant as long as they were freely accessible, and should have stayed irrelevant.

By removing free access to these books and requiring students to obtain electronic copies, the school has basically turned its nose up at intellectual freedom and embraced corporatism and capitalism in a stupid way that does not benefit anyone but the publishers who digitize books for profit.
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post #25 of 39
9/14/09 at 3:59pm
there there are this problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FCkgPxg-aU

and this


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MJju...eature=related

At some point governments and cooperations will start editing or even misplacing book they feel maybe seditious, like the writings of Plato, Descartes, Jefferson, and the holy wittings like the bible.
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post #26 of 39
9/14/09 at 4:13pm
Actually, this is the real problem, probably deserving of its own thread:

http://libwww.freelibrary.org/closing/

Philadelphia's entire library system is shutting down, having received exactly $0 for its budget this year.
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post #27 of 39
9/14/09 at 4:17pm
I'm sure Dave and Zooey already heard about this, but here's the sobering news for everyone else: Philly's free library system is closing down.
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/09/13...a-free-li.html
Quote:
Think of the librarians who took a stand during the darkest years of the PATRIOT Act and refused to turn over patron records. Think of the moral unimpeachability of those whose trade is universal access to all human knowledge.

Picture an entire city, a modern, wealthy place, in the richest country in the world, in which the vital services provided by libraries are withdrawn due to political brinksmanship and an unwillingness to spare one banker's bonus worth of tax-dollars to sustain an entire region's connection with human culture and knowledge and community.

Think of it and ask yourself what the hell has happened to us.
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post #28 of 39
9/14/09 at 4:25pm
Another reason never to live in Philly.

But wait, this is all temporary no? They're having some budget battle? It can't be that they've made a decision to permanently close the whole thing right?
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post #29 of 39
9/14/09 at 4:30pm
Following the link from the BoingBoing story, they only say:

Quote:
Even as we remain hopeful that the State Legislature will act and pass the enabling funding legislation, we wanted to notify all of our customers of this very possible outcome.
Not living in Philly, I don't know how likely it is that funding will be passed in time to stave this off. One has to figure this will make national news and embarrassment will be enough for the legislature to find the money somewhere, eventually. But who knows how long the branches will be closed and what the long term effects of a prolonged closure will be?
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post #30 of 39
9/14/09 at 4:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ElCapitanAmerica View Post
Another reason never to live in Philly.

But wait, this is all temporary no? They're having some budget battle? It can't be that they've made a decision to permanently close the whole thing right?
Define "temporary." Unless they're allocated some money, they literally have no funds with which to reopen. Recalling every single book out on loan is pretty grim.

All of their outreach programs, for youth and otherwise, have been permanently canceled.
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post #31 of 39
9/14/09 at 4:35pm
That's kind of what I'm asking. I meant temporarily, should have said is this just a threat, so that the politicians approve the budget the library system claims it needs (and the legislature wants to approve one but give them less money?).

Again, I have no idea what the current situation is over there, it's an embarrassment for Pennsylvania but I have a hard time thinking anybody would let the libraries of such a city just close up and be gone forever!
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post #32 of 39
9/14/09 at 6:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ElCapitanAmerica View Post
That's kind of what I'm asking. I meant temporarily, should have said is this just a threat, so that the politicians approve the budget the library system claims it needs (and the legislature wants to approve one but give them less money?).

Again, I have no idea what the current situation is over there, it's an embarrassment for Pennsylvania but I have a hard time thinking anybody would let the libraries of such a city just close up and be gone forever!
Knowing what I know about the general state of public libraries in this country, I suspect it's a threat based entirely in fact; if the politicians don't approve the budget, the library system will have to close. As for whether it could reopen somewhere down the line, I'd guess that the director and staff are just as in the dark as everyone else.

When library budgets are cut, librarians tend to make the cuts as invisible to patrons as possible, possibly to their own detriment in the long run. Community members tend to think things are fine until the staff cuts and work hour reductions (the first areas that take the brunt of cash shortages) start resulting in library hours getting reduced, programs getting cut, and collections that aren't kept as current as they should be. I mention this to point out that when a library actually gets to the point that a director will publicly admit that it's fucked, it's probably pretty seriously fucked.
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post #33 of 39
9/14/09 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
When library budgets are cut, librarians tend to make the cuts as invisible to patrons as possible, possibly to their own detriment in the long run. Community members tend to think things are fine until the staff cuts and work hour reductions (the first areas that take the brunt of cash shortages) start resulting in library hours getting reduced, programs getting cut, and collections that aren't kept as current as they should be. I mention this to point out that when a library actually gets to the point that a director will publicly admit that it's fucked, it's probably pretty seriously fucked.
During my internship at a public library, the staff received a memo after the most recent round of budget cuts that essentially said, "There is no way customer service will not suffer as a result of our funding situation." I was often the only one behind the reference desk at a major suburban library (in the same building as the county courthouse). Staffing was bone-thin; everyone working there, from the director to the librarians to the library techs, looked like they were fighting in a war. Which they kind of were.
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post #34 of 39
9/14/09 at 6:43pm
Kinda off topic, but I've got a pile of books I wanted to donate. How do I go about doing this? Just walk in with a box of books and hand em over to the librarian?
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post #35 of 39
9/14/09 at 6:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bendrix View Post
During my internship at a public library, the staff received a memo after the most recent round of budget cuts that essentially said, "There is no way customer service will not suffer as a result of our funding situation." I was often the only one behind the reference desk at a major suburban library (in the same building as the county courthouse). Staffing was bone-thin; everyone working there, from the director to the librarians to the library techs, looked like they were fighting in a war. Which they kind of were.
And if it was that bad out front where the patrons could actually see it, it must have been a mess behind the scenes, right? As I understand it, the Milwaukee Public Library has, at times, had untrained interns in charge of acquisition for certain areas because they didn't have the full-time staff to do it.

That is, until they ceased to have the funding to hire interns.
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post #36 of 39
9/14/09 at 6:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billylove View Post
Kinda off topic, but I've got a pile of books I wanted to donate. How do I go about doing this? Just walk in with a box of books and hand em over to the librarian?
Depends entirely on the system. You might want to give the library a call before you go in.
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post #37 of 39
9/14/09 at 7:06pm
Yes.

ETA: Yes to what Dave said, I mean. Fuck this fucking internetfucking connection.
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post #38 of 39
9/18/09 at 1:53am
"Philadelphia libraries in danger of closing are now safe."
http://www.examiner.com/x-1361-Seatt...g-are-now-safe

Quote:

The people of Philadelphia can breathe easy now. It was announced earlier this evening that the Pennsylvania State senate passed bill 1828 by a vote of 32 to 17. This was the legislation that was needed for the City of Philadelphia to avoid the layoff of 3,000 city workers and the forced the closing of all library branches.

Local library users may have been unhappy about Seattle Public Library's closure earlier this month, but readers in Philadelphia had it much worse. The Free Library of Philadelphia had posted notices at all of the branches and on the web site advising library users that all libraries would close at the end of the business day on Friday, October 2nd if the state Legislature does not act on the city's budget request.

Had the library closed, all services would have been impacted. All library programs and outreach would have been canceled, community organizations would have had to find other places to hold meetings, all GED and ESL programs would have been discontinued, and library users would not have access to books, CDs, DVDs, online resources, or any other library materials.

The Library was hopeful that the State Legislature will act and pass enabling funding legislation. They encouraged residents to contact local elected officials in an attempt to save the birthplace of the lending library. Over 2,000 letters were sent to state legislators. Last fall the library system closed 11 of its 54 branches and layed off over 100 workers in an effort to save money
Crisis averted. But only 2000 letters???
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post #39 of 39
9/19/09 at 12:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ElCapitanAmerica View Post
"Philadelphia libraries in danger of closing are now safe."
http://www.examiner.com/x-1361-Seatt...g-are-now-safe



Crisis averted. But only 2000 letters???
Plus, over a third of the state senate voted against it. That's insane.
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