Impact That Librarians And Libraries Have On The Decline Of Reading And Library Services

The author starts off with a rhetorical question: “What kind of problem is a library?” urging the readers to think about this question as they continue to read the article. The question grabs the readers’ attention, and intrigues them to read on to find and answer. She further utilizes this technique of rhetorical questions throughout the article for the same purpose of emphasis on the vitality of the role of public libraries. Moreover, Smith extensively employs the use of metaphors and personification. For example, she describes the internet as libraries’ “universal death knell”, which portrays the internet’s negative impact on the development of

In Dana Gioia’s article titled “Why Literature Matters”, he explains about the decline of reading literature for young Americans. Although “income rose to unforeseen levels, college attendance ballooned, and access of information increased enormously” he states, “the interest young Americans showed in the arts… diminished”. In his article, Gioia uses surveys, articles, studies, and statistics to persuade his audience that the decline of reading in America can have a negative effect on society.

The essay “Disliking Books” by Gerald Graff gives reason to why so many kids and young adults dislike reading. Graff mentions things from his childhood, and things from his time as a college student to explain his reasoning. Being a part of a middle class family, Graff explains the stigma surrounding studying and enjoying books in his childhood. Graff then shows us his experience that changed his mind. Graff uses details from his life to give meaning to his ideas.

Those who are unlikely to use e-books are hispanic people without high school diploma, the unemployed, rural Americans, and people who have an income lower than $3,000 and that without libraries the division on who reads e-books and those who don't would be greater(source C). Because of this libraries must work to meet the needs of the middle to low class with physical copies books and the higher middle class and upper class with e-books. This means a lot of money would have to go into updating and keeping accurate books and e-books which would be double the effort than what was needed previously when there were only physical copies of books. Libraries are in a tough spot a to meet these demands since there has no been many budget cuts(source F). If funding is being cut and made smaller than it's going to get harder as years past to keep things up to date in both versions. Libraries need to push to get better funding, create programs that fund themselves, updating to modern ways of reading, and keep traditional reading to keep their important role in society that is meant to advocate

Have you ever read such a great book that you became completely infatuated with it? You feel the pain, happiness, sadness that the characters feel; you feel as if you personally know the characters. You begin to forget that what you are reading is just a creative piece of writing because you are so infatuated with it. Reading for pleasure is a way to escape reality, a way to be inspired, a way to become more knowledgeable, and even a way to gain a new identity (Storm). In this day and age however, students prefer not to read for pleasure during their free time, such as summer vacations (McGaha). A major obstacle that students face today is technology. With technology expanding so rapidly, it seems that students are more focused on owning

In “Why Don’t Teens Read For Pleasure Like They Used To?,” Jennifer Ludden a writer from Mind/Shift, KQED.org explains why many teens aren’t reading for pleasure anymore. A study done by Common Sense Media, shows that “Nearly half of 17-year-olds say they read for pleasure no more than one or times a year - if that.” Ludden states that with the digital revolution, there are more platforms than ever to read on. Even though the number of American teens reading for pleasure has dramatically. Additionally, Jim Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media, says he’s been studying the impact of technology on children.

In this article from 2005, Dana Gioia is telling Americans how much the decline in reading among young Americans has gone. Gioia is encouraging Americans to read, and writes about the consequences of not having this literature reading skill.

The author of this article Mrs. Denise Davis is the director of the Office for Research and Statistics of the American Library Association. This means that Mrs. Davis is able to access and is responsible for the reports mandatory for each library across America to turn in each fiscal year, these reports are used to determine what changes the libraries need to make to better serve the public. Given her credibility to write on such topics she then chooses a topic each year to write on to prepare libraries and librarians across the country for the upcoming years. In 2010 Mrs. Davis choose to write on eBooks and their increasing popularity throughout the American population as well as the difficulties libraries have encountered in the past fiscal year to compete with eBooks. Because this article is written in 2010 it shows just how long libraries have struggled with the topic of eBooks and can demonstrate the new policies that have been used by the libraries throughout the past four years. This information can help my research in showing how eBooks have affected the library's behavior, and consequently give me the statistics needed to show the effects of eBooks on the libraries throughout the recent years. Understanding this source is outdated other sources will also likely be used in my final project from the American Library Association websites of statistics of more recent years.

Dana Gioia writes the article “Why Literature Matters” for all the readers of the New York Times. He expresses the importance of literature because of the consequences that could result from the lack of reading, especially for young adults between the age 18 and 24. Throughout the article he explains that reading and literacy have decreased even though “income rose to unforeseen levels, college attendance ballooned, and access to information increased enormously.” His diction thoroughly explains that reading has decreased while the resources and opportunities have increased. Gioia appeals logically by using evidence to support claims, appeals ethically by giving reasoning to develop ideas, and appeals emotionally by using diction to add power to the ideas expressed.

This is because many schools believe that in today’s age of technology, teenagers prefer reading through a digital platform. However, Merga discovers that reading habits amongst adolescents are not homogenous, and they do not all prefer digital books. Rather, she finds that the individual reading preferences of adolescents vary and educators must take these varying preferences into account.

A critical issue facing public libraries is how to stay relevant in the community to prevent closures or budget cuts. In “Looking at the Future of Libraries,” R. Toby Greenwalt asserts that the future of libraries is as a community connector providing users with the means to enable their creativity (Greenwalt). Greenwalt, the director of Digital Strategy and Technology Integration at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, believes libraries should disrupt conventional wisdom of what it can provide for patrons. One example of disrupting conventional wisdom, Greenwalt describes the library as a “firestarter,” the beginning steps of “something big” (Greenwalt).

In this paper, Gioia argues that there has been a major decline in reading among young adults. Additionally he argues that this issue affects not only literature and the arts, but all aspects of life. He creates this argument through the use of relevant facts and examples.

Moreover, libraries are immensely used by those who have no access to the internet or aren't able to use technology as efficiently. For instance, there are people out there that need the libraries to access the internet such as Hispanics and the unemployed. According to Source C, Crandall says, “..having a community resource that is able to help people understand how to use digital technology and information..” With this assistance, their life is improved to accumulate in the lifestyle societies are already used to. Also, libraries are able to adapt to the changes of societies by using Microsoft Excel and Ebook, that people can actually interact with. (Source B) Libraries provide a storage for information in all forms as new technologies are produced. People are encouraged to access to information as effortlessly as others. This may give people the opportunity to find jobs, explore medical research, and experience new ideas. Not only libraries are relevant for helping those that need guidance but libraries also play a part in helping the young. For instance, the percentage of people who receive help from a librarian is gradually increasing. Younger groups of 43 percent are getting homework help. Some people may think librarians only know about the storage of books. This is actually not true. For example, not all young students can access to computers at home, therefore may need help with assignments and projects. Librarians are there to guide these students to do better and be successful in school. Librarians play a significant role in helping the young, therefore, accomplishing a better for future for the

I recall a conversation had with a good friend of mine not too long ago; I asked her if she planned on reading The Kite Runner over the summer. She then responded with an uninterested no and attempted to steer the conversation towards the new Jordan’s coming out that weekend. I diverted her attention from the shoes long enough to question her response; she then hissed “I can watch the movie! Reading the book is a waste of my time!” Mr. Moe, that statement clearly shows why Laurel should start a reading program. Interest in reading is crashing among the youth, novels are now a “waste of time”. Since the children are our future, it is our responsibility to keep their minds sharp and alert. According to reneweveryday.com, “reading is the ultimate

Central Idea (Need): The worth of public libraries in America extends far beyond the books they offer; libraries also provide access to computers and internet connections, meeting places for community activities and groups, guidance services for patrons, tutoring programs, and advocacy for child literacy programs. Despite the value of these resources to struggling communities, libraries have seen a decline in both public usage and federal funding in recent years.