LIBRARIANSHIP HAS SAILED.
“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books,’’ said James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing and chief promoter of the bookless campus. “This isn’t ‘Fahrenheit 451’ [the 1953 Ray Bradbury novel in which books are banned]. We’re not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and optimize technology.’’
I have a few problems with this:
1. It seems to me that the headmaster is just trying to make a name for himself. I would be willing to bet he’s not a devoted library patron.
2. Libraries and Kindles have not found a way to coexist seamlessly yet and expecting students to buy E-Books is wrong, even if they do attend some fancy private school.
3. One of my favorite things about checking books out of the school library was seeing who had checked it out before me! Bonus points if it was a hot senior. Even more bonus points if I found notes written in the margins or receipts from the local deli tucked into the pages.
