Introduction:
Electronic Materials for Children and Young Adults

Libraries have always contained a wide variety of resources for children and young adults. Over the past century, libraries have increasingly provided access to nonprint materials such as maps, photographs, slides, and kits.

The past few decades have seen a tremendous increase in electronic materials for children and young adults. These kinds of materials include computer software, audio CDs, DVDs, and Internet resources.

In the past, students preparing for the SAT or ACT carried around heavy books for study. Today, they check out the Kaplan Higher Score SAT, ACT, and PSAT Deluxe CD or the Princeton Review Deluxe CD instead.

Read the article Teen Content Creators and Consumers (PDF file) and Teens and Technology: Youth are Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation (PDF file) from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Are you surprised by their findings?

In the Pew Internet and American Life Project survey (Dec. 30, 2007) titled Information searches that
solve problems (PDF), it was found that "Young adults in Generation Y (age 18-29) are the heaviest users of libraries when they face these problems. They are also the most likely library visitors for any purpose. Most of those who visit libraries to seek problem-solving information are very satisfied with what they find and they appreciate the resources available there, especially access to computers and the internet."

Electronic Materials Defined

Electronic materials are much less tangible than traditional materials such as books or paper maps. The data itself is stored electronically and requires some kind of device to display information. For example, a compact disc can be played on an audio player or computer.

CDs and DVDs

CDs and DVDs are used to hold all kinds of information and learning resources. Many educational software programs combine informational, instructional, and creativity resources. The software may include background information on the topic, contain practice questions, and also encourage students to develop projects using information from the software. For example, WiggleWorks by Scholastic focuses on early literacy by having students listen to narrated stories, practice reading concepts, record their voices, and write and illustrate their own stories. The Art Lesson is an interactive book with a variety of exploration, art, and learning environments.

Internet and Websites

A web page is viewed using a web browser on the computer or other devices. Web pages stored on a web server are accessed through the Internet.

The benefit of electronically stored materials is their flexibility. Rather than walking or driving to the library, patrons can access electronic materials anywhere, anytime through the Internet. Although some materials are still stored on floppy disks, CDs, or DVDs, it's now possible to share any electronic data through the Internet.

Read the article What America Needs to Know by Walter Minkel in School Library Journal (3/1/2003). Are you surprised by the results of the UCLA study? What do you think of the suggested survey questions? What else would you add?

Read the off-site article When Students Hit the Surf by John Lubans in School Library Journal (9/1/1999). What implications do you think this survey has for librarians?

Beyond the informational materials found on the web, a growing number of young people use the Internet as a integral part of their social life.

Read Teens, Privacy and Online Social Networks (PDF version) and Social Networking Websites and Teens: An Overview (PDF version). Examine the PowerPoint presentation Social Media and Libraries:New applications for a new generation of users from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Go to Pew and use their link or download the PowerPoint presentation directly. Also examine Young and Wired: How today's young tech elite will influence the libraries of tomorrow from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Go to Pew and use their link or download the PowerPoint presentation directly. Explore other reports and presentations at the Pew website.

Although some people have expressed concern that digital content will replace paper-based materials such as books, others feel that all materials can co-exist.

Read Crossover Dreams: Turning Free Web Work Into Real Book Sales by Motoko Rich in The New York Times (12/13/2007). What do you see as the future of online and print content? How does this impact libraries? Go to Fun Brain's Web Comics and skim the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid that's also available in a book form. You can also read On the Rocks, Brewster Rockit Space Guy, and Silent Kimbly. For mature readers and adults go to Smith Mag. This website contains many examples of webcomics including A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge and Shooting War.

E-books

An e-book is a book delivered as an electronic file. Software is needed to run your e-book on your computer or your handheld device. Some books are produced in special e-book formats that can be viewed on a computer or a special e-Book reader.

This technology has been much in the news in recent years. Some have predicted that the format will not reach a "critical mass" of users needed for its large scale adoption. Last summer a flurry of reaction precipitated when Barnes and Noble ceased marketing e-Books; however, others have noted continued steady growth in sales and use. This is a electronic format that bears watching. Read the off-site article E-Books; An Uncertain Future? by by Richard W. Boss, a Tech Notes article from the American Library Association (January 2004).

 

Explore other resources on online reading including interactive stories, articles, and books at Electronic Books and Online Reading from eduScapes Teacher Tap.

Hand-held Devices

Besides online resources, CDs, and DVD software, many learning devices have emerged. Hand-held devices such as Palms and Handsprings now have their own software. Some pieces of equipment are stand-alone. For example, there is an increasing demand for hand-held devices such as the SkyScout Personal Planetarium that can be used outdoors at night while viewing the night sky.

Go to Handhelds in the Classroom from Teacher Tap. Explore some of the applications of handheld devices and software.

Companies such as LeapFrog produce popular lap size and handheld learning devices. Some libraries now check out these kinds of devices.

Read the off-site article Smart Toy Story by Walter Minkel in School Library Journal (4/1/2003). Will these devices impact the library? Why or why not?

In the next decade laptops are likely to become the norm in schools. Some schools and libraries even check-out laptops.

Read the off-site article Maine Middle School Laptop Program Leads to Better Writers by Debra Lay Whelan (10/30/2007), Life Among the Laptops by Barbara Weathers in School Library Journal (2/1/2001). Also, read Laptop Lessons by Walter Minkel in School Library Journal (3/1/2003). How are laptops impacting the library?

Over the next few decades the technology will become even more transparent as files are shared at high speed through wireless systems. As the human interfaces such as computers, headphones, and mice become even more "human-friendly," electronic media will become as common as books and baseball caps.

Read the Pew Study: Students Prefer 'Virtual Library' by Walter Minkel in School Library Journal (10/1/2002). Will we always have libraries? Why or why not? What's the role of the virtual library?

View Mystery Adventure on a James River Plantation (7:30)

Rebecca Thomas makes writing fun by allowing her students to surf the net to develop ghost stories based on real people (Grade 4). - Available through WHRO

Download free Windows Media Player.

Proceed to the Informational Materials page.

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Some sections adapted with permission from Chapter 5 in Lamb, A. (2006). Building Treehouses for Learning: Technology in Today's Classroom, Fourth Edition.