INSIGHT
‘‘ K&IM Matters
Digital detox? Not for me, but don’t tell my children…
W
E have all been there: it’s night- time and the kids are still on their phones. “Switch
those off ,” you order, “exposure to a screen won’t do you any favours at bed time!” And then you get yourself to bed, clasping your mobile phone like a long lost puppy, and remaining glued to its screen for hours. I’m blaming my library, because it’s so impossibly up-to-date with both user-friendly electronic reading software and the needs of the spoilt reader of today: the “I want that book and I want it now, even if it’s eleven pm” type of reader – i.e. me.
Instant – or almost instant read Have I just read a raving review for a new book? A quick switch from the news page to the library app on my phone, and boom: I’ll know if I can start reading or listening to it within minutes; whether I can reserve it if somebody’s beaten me to it; or if I can reserve it for when it’s published, if not yet on the market.
I’ll also know if that book won’t be available as an electronic resource, in which case it’s time for a screen switch and onto the online catalogue of the same group of libraries to reserve the hard copy for pick up at my convenience. Mission accomplished with the same smooth eagerness of holiday makers who wake up at dawn to reserve sunbeds around the pool, with the striking diff erence that I don’t even need to leave my bed to secure that book reservation.
Borrow Box
My library (run by Traff ord Council, part of the Greater Manchester family)
April-May 2019
uses Borrow Box. The app itself is easy to spot on a phone’s screen, even one as crammed with apps as mine (it’s bright green). It off ers a search option by e-book or audio book. Once the book is downloaded, the app is delightful, with automatic bookmarks for when you – fi nally – get to sleep; options to change the font size; return to the content page to get to another chapter – the usual features that modern readers expect from most e-reader devices. Of course it helps that my phone screen is on the large side, but there’s nothing stopping me from downloading the app onto another device for greater eye comfort.
Discovering gems
Borrow Box has not replaced my passion for visiting libraries. Whilst the app off ers suggestions for new reads, nothing beats the excitement of walking through shelves of books and discovering a gem by accident, and if not by accident, by design! Librarians create tempting displays by theme, event, season. Last February, staff wrapped up a few books in white paper and red bows under the banner: Fall in love with a new book (a “blind date” to get us out of our habitual book choices). I didn’t even need to unwrap my mystery book to borrow it: one of those unbelievable stand-alone machines managed to scan the title through the wrapping.
Librarians behind the technology I may have digressed to talk about the wonder of technology and how well it meets the needs of the capricious reader of today. There is a glaring omission in all this: the role of the librarian. Behind the choice of technology (be it the type of app, or the super intelligent machines that
Dr Francesca Emmett (francesca.emmett@
justice.gov.uk) is International Relations and Commercial Manager/Head, Crown Copyright and Licensing Hub, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.
Borrow Box has not replaced my passion for visiting libraries.
know what I’ve borrowed even when I don’t) there is a team of librarians who make those informed choices. They know the user needs and apply their knowledge to assist users as they ride the crest of technological advance. Librarians populate electronic databases; they keep up to date with those new releases that I so very much want to read at eleven pm, ordering books for us.
Thanks to librarians, I am indulging in the latest releases and breaking our own family rules. What more would a modern parent want from life? Certainly not a digital detox, but don’t tell my children! IP
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K&IM Matters
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