Loading ...
Kindles Hit Library
Photo Credit: Cierra Yarborough
READING'S FUN! Felix Weese (SR) reads Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes on the Kindle that he checked out.
January 25, 2012 • Cierra Yarborough, Reporter
Filed under Entertainment, News, Top Stories
With technology advancing fast, most teens feel the need to keep up with the times, and what better way than to get an electronic device that holds all the books you could ever think of getting your hands on?
One such device, known as a Kindle, has hit the Greybull High School library at full speed. In January, the library added three Kindles to its holdings.
The Kindle is in competition with the Nook by Barnes and Nobles, the Sony e-reader, and many other electronics that have reading capabilities or applications.
Cost was one factor in the selection of the Kindle. Priced at $99 dollars each, the library started with three kindles, wanting to see how much the students use them.
In addition, the Kindle offers sound for audio books.
A larger factor in the selection was the text to speech option available only on the Kindle. Text to speech allows the device to literally convert the written to spoken word.
Mrs. Forcella, librarian, sees this as a way that “students can improve their reading skills by being able to read along with the book learning pronunciation and getting help with words that students might otherwise have stumbled over.”
“Another cool feature,” said Mrs. Forcella, “is the built in dictionary that allows students to look up words that they are unfamiliar with on the spot.”
Mrs. Forcella also said that she thought the technological factor of it all may draw students in.
Mrs. Forcella said, “As of right now, Kindle’s are being used mostly for classic novels. I think that this is a great thing because our students now have access to more than 15,000 titles that are completely free. What a way to expand our collection.”
Checking out a Kindle is easy. Like a normal book patrons get them for two weeks. Also like books, students are held responsible for loss or any damage to the Kindle. But students had better make reservations – the Kindles have been in constant demand since their arrival.
Comments