[LM_NET] HIT: who still buys encyclopedias

[Rebecca Dann <dannr@ACCS.K12.IN.US>]

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to post a hit on the subject of 
"Are we/Should we still buy hard copy encyclopedias for public schools?"
Attached is an Excel file with the responses condensed as best I could . 

For those of you who asked, yes I/we were offended when told, "You will 
not buy anymore hard copy encyclopedias, it is your job to teach proper 
online searching."  We both have MLS degrees and we also have education 
degrees.  We both love technology, that is not an issue. And we both 
/do/ teach proper online searching.  However, one's self-esteem does 
take a big hit when you feel as if you are being told you don't know how 
to do your job correctly. It is doubly hard when you are working in the 
trenches with the kids and the teachers and you are sure you know what 
the needs are.

For us all of the following are relevant, or we feel they are:

   1. Our state tests still cover using multi volume works and our
      colleges still have many reference works that are multi volume and
      therefore do need students to know how to do this. 
   2. Public libraries still need patrons to have this skill also.
   3. It is not a good use of time to have elementary or even middle
      school kids login, wait, start a browser, wait, go to the school
      library page, wait, find a database on the page, put in a search
      term, wait (by now we could have had it at our fingertips)
   4. We have Amish and several other families that either don't have
      Internet at home (or electricity for that matter) or won't sign an
      AUP. Our volumes get checked out a lot.
   5. Hard copies are great for browsing and for finding charts and
      graphs easier.
   6. Our media centers have limited access to computers while a whole
      class can use our several sets of encyclopedias.
   7. As far as cost, we buy one new encyclopedia on a 5-year cycle.
      Therefore, if I had purchased the encyclopedia I requisitioned for
      $799 and the Encyclopedia of Animals for $164 for a total of $963,
      I would not be looking to replace them until 2012.  If required to
      purchase only on line versions I will pay $1133 per year for those
      two, therefore costing me $5665 by 2012 and that is if the cost
      doesn't go up over the five years. My library budget will be
      taking a pretty big hit here.
   8. Our students can easily waste a lot of time being distracted and
      surfing when it is easier to keep them on task with the hard
      copies in the library.

I know this will change and someday we will have all kids with their own 
laptops that stay logged in and work speedily, but until that day, we 
need the hard copy versions also.
Thanks for your help with this survey. Sometimes you just want your 
colleagues to reflect back to you that you are not just old or really 
out of it. :-)
Respectfully,
Rebecca Dann
Adams Central MS/HS
222 W. Washington St.
Monroe, IN 46772

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