Reading Rainbow Dot Com

Reading Rainbow Dot Com

When I was a kid, books were made of paper. Simple paper, dressed in leather and covered in ink. The library was a castle of books, with rows of endless imagination waiting to be discovered. Alice and her adventure into Wonderland, Mr. Toad and his wild rides, Peter Pan over London, it was all available and accessible with a swipe of your library card. 

Fast forward 30 years, and that has all changed. Now reading a book is more of a technical accomplishment, where the luxury of opening a gathering of pages is as foreign as using a payphone. Amazon Prime, Audible, Kindle, Nook, Barnes and Noble have all contributed to the evolution of the “library experience,” and the development, although scary may increase student literacy as we know it.

Grab Those Tablets

Most children in our classroom have access to a phone or a computer, perhaps more regularly than a bus or a car. Moreover, certain demographics may find it intimidating to explore the maze of books that is available to them at those brick cathedrals that smell of glue and paper. This is not an excuse, and should not be looked to as a negative side effect of the digital revolution that imposed itself in history during the 1990’s. I argue that digital resources can, in fact, open the door for students less skilled in navigating the library, but who have been exposed to apps and websites since birth.

It’s the intersection of technology and liberal arts that makes our hearts sing. 

-Steve Jobs

Most libraries have a website where they catalog their entire collection, Lord of the Rings is just a click away. The Los Angeles County Library District has an app called “Libby” which collects audio and digital collections from multiple libraries in their network making checking out material as easy as 1, 2, click! Students can venture into genres without fear or anxiety. They can explore fictional worlds at their leisure. With digital resources such as this, the students are encouraged to try books, and return them if they feel it the literature was not a fit. Often both audio and digital versions of the same book can be checked out, providing additional support for the young reader. What’s more, most of the classic stories that have impacted generations of readers have been converted into digital, showing that even those lost in Neverland can grow with the times. 

This statement comes from personal experience. As a kid, I loved the library. I loved to walk the halls and imagine the adventures I could have as a princess, a dancer, or even a villain. This experience has not been lost; it has evolved. Perhaps it is time we evolve with it. 

Sharing one last story with you,

Yvonne Milian

Photo by Patricia Prudente on Unsplash