ERIC Number: EJ922970
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-May-1
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0362-8930
EISSN: N/A
The Unhappy Place: What Libraries Can Do to Welcome Kids Who Struggle with Print
Socol, Ira David
School Library Journal, v56 n5 p42-45 May 2010
Librarians love books. They love the feel, the smell, and the look of the page. However, physical volumes have kept the author from reaching the ideas and stories that he wants. An impenetrable pile of pages in linear order, books are difficult to decode, search, and rearrange, and one of the worst information management systems he has encountered. Still other students find them hard to hold, heavy to carry and costly. Students "with differences" want safe places to search for and acquire knowledge, rather than depositories of physical books. They want to know, from the minute they begin searching, what forms this book or information is available in, and how to access it. In this article, the author discusses what libraries can do to welcome kids who struggle with print. He suggests that school libraries provide a digital version, machine readable and highly portable, an audio version, preferably in the form of an MP3, and large print and Braille options. To truly embrace learners and to allow them to embrace one's library, the author states that librarians must provide access and make it easy for all users to enter the library.
Descriptors: Large Type Materials, School Libraries, Library Services, Librarians, Reading Difficulties, Books, Electronic Publishing, Electronic Libraries, Braille, Special Needs Students, Audio Books
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A