The authorities at Cushing Academy, a New England prep school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts have decided to do away with their traditional library. Meaning, nothing between two covers.
“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books,’’ said James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing and chief promoter of the bookless campus.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.’’
In place of the books, the school has purchased three large flat-screen televisions, a $12,000 cappuccino machine, and 18 electronic readers. 18 electronic readers for their 445 students.
I kind of have the same reaction as one of the veteran librarians of Cushing Academy, Liz Vezina, who has worked in that library for 17 years and is apparently having a hard time imagining working in a library with no books.
“It makes me sad,’’ said Vezina, who hosts a book club on campus dubbed the Off-line Readers and has made a career of introducing students to books. “I’m going to miss them. I love books. I’ve grown up with them, and there’s something lost when they’re virtual. There’s a sensual side to them – the smell, the feel, the physicality of a book is something really special.’’
William Powers, authot of the paper (soon to be book) “Hamlet’s Blackberry: Why Paper is Eternal” weighs in on the move calling it a “tremendous loss for students.”
To counter all of this worry that students won’t be able to read the way they used to, peruse the aisles, or serendipitously discover something they weren’t looking for, the article states that “School officials said when they checked library records one day last spring only 48 books had been checked out, and 30 of those were children’s books.”
6 responses
No, Ray Bradbury is not rolling over in his grave right now, for the simple fact that he’s not dead.
Actually, Ray Bradbury’s still fighting the good fight at 88: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/us/20ventura.html
This is very sad. If Bradbury were dead, he would be rolling over in his grave and for good reason.
I’d be at that book sale.
Pete, Craig, Trevor. Thanks for the catch. I’ve updated the post accordingly.
Sickening!!!!!!!!
Although the cappucino machine sounds marvelous — JUST NOT AT A PREP SCHOOL!!
How, pray tell, does a cappucino machine and three flat screen televisions replace books? Someone needs to have their head examined here and perhaps employment in another profession!!
“School officials said when they checked library records one day last spring only 48 books had been checked out, and 30 of those were children’s books.†Sounds like the school had a deplorable library to begin with and used corresponding low check-out records as an excuse to do away with books. What’s wrong with old fashioned books AND electronic access?
I wouldn’t think of sending my kids to such an overly pretentious school in a million years!
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