Heavy backpacks laden with textbooks have been a commonplace nuisance for generations of college students.<br/>
Now, digital textbooks and e-readers are providing students with a way to lighten their loads and save money.
The Baker University Bookstore is offering many textbooks in both traditional format and digitally through CafeScribe. Manager Bruce Skoog said the store currently offers around 28 digital titles and hope to offer more digital options in future semesters.<br/>
While they offer students a convenient way to get textbooks at a fraction of the price, Skoog said students have not wholly embraced digital texts.
“Still students like to have that book in hand, but they’re getting more popular,” Skoog said.
The books are not accessible on traditional e-readers, but they can be read on iPads, Android tablets and some smart phones. Students can also try out the books for three days before deciding whether or not to purchase the digital version.
E-readers are also becoming more popular in the classroom as they become more affordable. Two of the most popular e-readers, Kindles and Nooks, start at $79 and $99, respectively, and some classic works of literature are available on the readers for free.
Junior JaNay Adgers said she uses her Nook to study and prepare for her Public Relations Cases class.
“I go to the website, print off the pages and read it that way so I can highlight and take notes,” Adgers said. “When I don’t have my papers with me and I’m out about I’ll go ahead and read on it (and) I can still keep up with reading.”
While e-readers have many practical advantages, they also provide some obstacles and distractions.
Tamara Slankard, instructor of English, said she allows her students to use e-readers but does not encourage their use.
“When students come and ask me if they can use one, I allow it,” Slankard said. “I really don’t like it for ideological reasons. They’re contributing to the death of publishing.”
Slankard said e-readers can be inconvenient during class discussions because the pagination of digital books is often different and students cannot make notes in the text.<br/>
“If we’re discussing something on page 237 and you can’t find where that is, we can end up wasting a lot of class time,” Slankard said.
Practical reasons aside, Slankard said one of the greatest advantages of using traditional books, especially for literature classes, is the cozy feeling that comes with sitting down with a good book.
“It’s hard to curl up with a good machine at the end of the day,” Slankard said.