In the second part of her research paper, Noveena focuses on the significance of library, role of online content and the deterioration of reading habits. An exclusive for Different Truths.

A library is an important source of knowledge to young minds in schools and colleges. It develops the important habits of reading among the students. Every school and college must have a library. The library plays a great role in the life of students by serving as the storehouse of knowledge. The importance of a library in a school cannot be overemphasized. While the role of the school library remains constant, its design, digital platform, strategies, and tools could change as technology changes.

Libraries Help Students

Impact positively on the academic achievement of the students. Students can perform better during examination by reading various books.

Facilitate the work of the classroom teacher and ensures each student has equitable access to resources, irrespective of home opportunities or constraints.

Run independent learning programs, which integrate information resources and technologies

Run independent learning programs, which integrate information resources and technologies

Equip students with the skills necessary to succeed in a constantly changing technological, social and economic environment.

Collaborate with classroom teachers to plan, implement and evaluate inquiry-based programs that will ensure students acquire skills to collect, critically analyse and organize information, problem-solve and communicate their findings.

Provide and promote quality fiction to develop and sustain in students the habit of reading for pleasure and to enrich students’ intellectual, aesthetic, cultural and emotional growth.

Provide teachers with access to relevant curriculum information and professional development materials within and outside the school

Provide teachers with access to relevant curriculum information and professional development materials within and outside the school; and opportunities to cooperatively plan, implement and evaluate learning program.

What Role does Online Content Play in Student’s Life?

Students today have begun to rely on the accessibility of information that is available on digital platforms through the usage of the internet. Specifically, as well as on the internet in general in order to get answers. This means that there is a reduced focus on learning. The mass communication scholars are not spending much time in libraries as they used to spend earlier.

Students are attempting to multi-task. They are trying to check various sites, while they study to get the answer to their questions. This leads to deterioration in their academic performance.

Students are attempting to multi-task. They are trying to check various sites, while they study to get the answer to their questions. This leads to deterioration in their academic performance. Besides, their ability to concentrate on their task at hand gets significantly reduced due to the distraction they face because of the surfing they do in order to fulfill their task.

The other negative effect on students is that they are spending too much time on digitally available content, and much lesser time in libraries and reading. Thus, it cannot be considered as an adequate replacement for reading habits. Not only this, students who are spending a great deal of time on surfing information are not able to communicate their ideas and learning in person in an effective manner.

The availability of a large number of educational sites has become so popular in such a short time because the information gets published in a fast way.

The availability of a large number of educational sites has become so popular in such a short time because the information gets published in a fast way. This has actually created a lax attitude for using proper spelling as well as grammar. In fact, the students are unable to write effectively without the aid of the spell check feature of a computer.

The digital content doesn’t have any authenticity if we compare it with the textbooks available in the libraries.

Moreover, if we compare the online content with the library resources, then we will find a huge difference between both the sources. The digital content doesn’t have any authenticity if we compare it with the textbooks available in the libraries. All the time, the content available on the sites are not relevant to the subject one is working on. Whereas in the library, one could find a relevant textbook on a particular subject.

The Deterioration of a Reading Culture

Reading habit has been a great help in developing knowledge. But today, in an age when browsing the net, playing with funky handsets and passing non-stop SMS seems to be the order of the day. The internet boom, the interactive medium of images, TV and the silver screen filling the minds of the modern youth, taking the majority of their free time we have to think seriously how the growing generations will find time to read. While technology is taking control steadily over individual lives, the reading habit is fast vanishing into thin air.

Everything has become instant and people are losing their patience to spend time reading and learning things.

Many complain that in this fast life where to find time to read. Everything has

become instant and people are losing their patience to spend time reading and learning things. Years ago, people used to discuss what they had read which induced others to read. But today TV programs and other things occupy their discussion. Nowadays we find most of the people wearing spectacles. Their eyes are easily strained. They find it easier to spend time on something else than in reading books. The attracting images on the internet along with information in changeable fonts are easier and more practical than reading books.

Change in lifestyle is another reason for this decline. Decades back there were a lot of magazines and books kept on the table in houses for parents as well as kids. They had time and there was no other thing to pass their time. But now the situation is different. Parents themselves aren’t having time to read. When they do not show any interest in reading how can we expect the children to read?

The importance of libraries seems deteriorating, as students are not able to value the significance of libraries

Moreover, in today’s time, all the students are depending on the Internet and the content, which is created digitally. The importance of libraries seems deteriorating, as students are not able to value the significance of libraries because of the convenience they face on surfing information, data, and content online through the availability of the Internet. The emergence of new media has been replacing libraries, which is again not beneficial for the students in these days. Introduction of various educational sites, content is working as an impediment in the way of reading culture and habits among the students.

(To be continued)

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