way that students read and how they get information, we’ve got to be ready to show them how to properly use the tech- nology that’s available to them.” When students walk into the media
center at Reese Road Leadership Acad- emy, they are immediately greeted by the familiar sight of books lining the shelves. But that is only a portion of the learning and research materials at their disposal. As media specialist at Reese Road, Ruth Hite’s first job is to foster a love of read- ing, but her duties don’t end there. “I’m a teacher of information skills,”
Hite explains. “I need to teach them how to find and how to access the information they need, and all too often that informa- tion won’t be found on a shelf but on the Internet.” That is why Reese Road, like other
schools in the Valley, has increased avail- able shelf space by referring children to the school’s online library for research material — including the encyclopedia. This
allows more room in the actual
library for hardcover books. But for all the advances that increase
access to books, Nooks and Kindles for example, Hite doesn’t buy into the theory that books and, by extension, libraries will ever become extinct. “I don’t think books will ever go out
of style,” she says. “The main reason is money. A lot of our budget still goes to hardback books, and we’ve got a lot of well-read books. Digital resources are great, but they’re costly. Those databases, like the encyclopedia, are expensive, so we’ve got to pick and choose which ones we can afford.” Although its traditional role and design has changed,
today’s library
remains a vital part of a student’s educa- tion. As its reach and capability extend past the regular school day, and even school year, so, too, does its potential for sharing knowledge with those who seek it. “Students are very literate when it
comes technology,” Screws says. “Most of the work they’re doing in class is on
a computer, so when we talk about the library and what it means to students today, it goes beyond the school and its four walls. “The library as we know it is now
world-wide.” During the summer, the responsi-
bilities for reading fall to the students and their parents. But with many area schools offering reading assignments throughout the summer, students’ education doesn’t end simply because the classrooms are empty. Students continue to have access to their school’s website and of course the Chattahoochee Valley Library also has numerous reading programs. “They shouldn’t stop reading just because it’s summer,”
“Because it’s summer there’s even more time for reading.”