I had the opportunity a week or so ago to visit a school in Columbia that is trying to be "less paper" or paperless. All of the teachers and students have Ipads, and their curriculum content comes from apps that the teacher finds. The library has about 1600 books, but the rest are e-books. I didn't like it. The school was pretty, and the teachers are probably great, especially since they were hand-picked to work there, but I wouldn't want to be there. One of the people I was with felt like it was a science experiment. There were a lot of glitches, but the thing I liked least was the fact that with e-books there is no contact with students. That's my favorite part of my job!! I love talking books with them, recommending books and then hearing what they have to say about them. Sometimes, they even recommend books to me! All of that is gone if they are left to download books on a device. Most of the students I've talked to, and even the ones who were reading that day in the library preferred a book that can be held. I am all for technology when it makes life easier, but taking away the human component is sad. I hope this is not the wave of the future!
