"Since everything is on the Internet I don't need books"... hm.... I disagree with that. I mean yes it is good to have your things with you electronically because you don't have to worry about losing it. However, when it comes to doing homework and such, it may be a good idea to have the hard copy of the text-even though it may be a hassle carrying a heavy book around. With a hard copy, you can pick up from where you left off easily if you used a bookmark.
Today, everything really is on the Internet. Who'd ever thought that we would be able to do so much on the Internet; chat, make phone calls, see people overseas, look for jobs, fill out job applications. It's all just very overwhelming, but sometimes we might want to be careful. People tend to develop lazy habits. They spend more time than they do on anything else. I really think that there should be a balance between both internet and books.
I also believe that some things are easier to learn in books than they are on internet. Take math for example. I personally think that people who struggle in math should practice in books rather than internet. They will have the chance to write the methods and formulas down which is in most cases essential in memorizing and understanding the material. Although the internet is a lot faster than carrying around a heavy book, you never know anything can happen while you’re online- you could possibly wind up losing your search and your work. With a book, the chances are minimal.
Ah… yes, I remember the days of lugging heavy textbooks and multiple library books in my backpack around campus when I was in college! It would have been really nice to have online books (we had a few titles available by the time I was finishing up my senior year, but of course, they weren’t subjects that I needed!), online Ask a Librarian services, or even a way to access library information without actually going into the library since I lived off-campus and had to take a bus everywhere. You might be interested to hear that the University’s School of Dental Medicine has ALL of their required textbooks in an electronic format on a CD that the dental students have to purchase. I’m sure that their backpacks are a lot lighter than mine was!
ReplyDeleteWhile “everything” isn’t really on the Internet today, I do agree that a lot of things are available on the Internet, and more and more everyday processes are taking place on the web! There are things that definitely weren’t available when I was a senior in high school, and I can certainly appreciate the conveniences of the Internet. I like the options that the Internet gives you—you could buy your heavy textbook to use at home, for example, but use the library’s electronic version of that textbook when you’re in your classes or at the library studying. Or say that you only use the electronic version—it’s nice that the library might have a hard copy available for the times when you can’t access the electronic version because of some technical issue or because all the computers are being used at the time you need to find something in the book, or you’ve accidentally locked out your remote login password. It’s also a good option to have if you travel or take a long-distance class (online).
Good post, Dieumeuse.
Tina M. Moser, MLIS
Health Sciences Library
University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus