Jacqueline Maley wrote in The Sun Herald on Sunday about her observations of commuters engrossed in activity on smartphones. I look back at my school days. People had mobile phones, but they were primarily used for making phone calls, and they were not commonly used on trains.
Some would read a newspaper or a book, or otherwise simply look out the window.
Maley made an interesting point that book sales have declined post-pandemic, while book costs have risen. Although not mentioned, it is likely that some schools have had their book budgets reduced due to either reduced school funding or changes in broader school priorities.
She is right about one element of smartphones: We don't engage with the content as deeply as if we were, say, reading a book. Algorithms often dictate what we read in a digital world, whereas with printed books, we can engage more deeply but also show more curiosity.
Digital technology can also stifle creative thought, whereas a printed book can stimulate that, as well as writing and reflection. Reading and writing can also take us to unexpected places.
What does it mean for me? What does it mean for Teacher Librarians?
We can do something to encourage reading in the commute to school, but also shift students away from devices, even for a short period of time each day. The solutions are simple, and you may already be applying them in some form.
To begin with, consider the students who travel a long distance to school. My school does have a large number of students who reside out of the area (Inner West, Hills Shire and Sydney CBD). I have worked in schools where students were travelling much further, which I have seen and still see for myself as I commute on either the T4 (particularly), T9, or Sydney Metro lines. Encourage them to make use of the time to read. Emphasise the benefits, e.g. can calm and relax a person. It can slow a brain down, and I see this for myself and others; it calms one down. It amazes me in my School READ sessions how the noisiest and "loudest" students can be easily calmed by reading.
Quick reads, e.g. graphic novels and verse novels, should be encouraged. They could even be used as a "hook" to encourage students to read longer-form books.
If you have a wide reading program. Well done. That encourages one to read for a longer period of time, while also providing opportunities to be introduced to texts that they may not be familiar with.
Does this mean that she would be discouraging eBooks? Not at all, but it allows us to be more wise with our use of screens. For some, there are benefits, e.g. audiobooks or being able to read a book in a larger font.
In the library, encourage books using the motto "Reading is Power" to resist algorithms. Books let you decide what you think while algorithms decide what you see. Book Reviews by students should be encouraged, whether they are posted on the shelves, through the library catalogue or a mixture of both.
