Response to “Digital Libraries: Shifting the Landscape” article by Glen Bull and Martha Sites

Hi Readers,

I found this article both interesting and emotionally difficult to read because Glen Bull and Martha Sites share how “the era of the book as we have known it is about to undergo an irreversible transition” (2009, p.12) as “the 500-year marriage between printing and reading may be nearing its end” (12).  Actually, this article reveals that the University of Virginia “is removing all 50,000 physical volumes from the Curry School of Education library [and] Google is digitizing almost all 50,000 volumes” (12).  Since this article was printed in 2009, this “strategic move to reshape the library of the future” (12) has most likely already been accomplished and has set the stage for many more libraries to follow this “evolution.”  With the new developments of devices like the Kindle, iPod Touch, and Google Android, “Google Books” are becoming extremely popular (12).  With their “equal-to-print readability and multidevice integration” (13) readers are finding the convenience of shifting between devices very appealing.  Furthermore, these devices help those with visual impairments and offer “a built-in text-to-speech option that will recite any book aloud…to increase comprehension and focus as [students] read” (13).  This is definitely an appealing feature for me as I will most likely have students who will have  difficulty reading.  Also, by using these digital readers instead of textbooks in my classroom, students will be able to fulfill the “Research and Information Fluency” standard (#3) as they “apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.” On another positive note, I could have more room in my classroom if I did not have to accommodate space for printed books.  

Even with all of these benefits, however, I am not sure why this whole idea of replacing printed books with digital ones upsets me.  Maybe it is because I grew up with actual books and came to love reading by using them or it is because of the fact that reading a screen for long periods of time has never appealed to me.  I would not mind if some books became digital but I still want the option of having a real book.  What the University of Virginia did to its library shocked me and it will take a while to adjust if that is how all libraries will respond to this new trend.  I am not yet a fan but I can certainly appreciate the benefits that this new technology offers.  

In essence, this article forecasts the transition of printed books to digital ones.  With the rise of popularity that I have seen just within that past three years since this article was written, it seems that we are headed towards what the University of Virginia has already done.  Even though the authors predict that “Electronic and print formats will coexist for many years” (13) the trend seems to be reducing the “many” to less by the hour.  I am not sure if I am ready to let go.


Bull, G, and M. Sites. (2009). Digital Libraries: Shifting the Landscape. Learning and Leading with  Technology, 37 (1), pp. 12-13. 

~Marissa Carney