...on the bookshelf, at least.
The publisher of Encyclopaedia Brittanica announced today that, after 244 years (244!!!), it will no longer publish a print edition of the reference source.
While this is not particularly surprising in this digital age, it's also sad. I have fond childhood memories of discovering lots of things about the world in the pages of the Brittanica in my school and community libraries. In school, the Brittanica was always my first stop when given a paper to write or a project to complete.
As a parent, though, I'm also sad because I'm left wondering how my daughter will learn how to conduct research. Sure, there's the internet with its Wikipedias, blogs, and websites for everything under the sun. But there's something to holding a book in your hands, turning the pages, holding something concrete.
As you read this, you might be thinking, "Wow, this woman is a nerd." Yes, yes, I am. Though, truthfully, I prefer the term geek. I love reading. I love learning new things. I love holding a book in my hands.
But there's also importance to understanding the elements of research - reliable sources vs unreliable; primary vs secondary. Can that be taught when the internet is the only resource left available in the public schools? I guess I'll find out as my daughter enters school in the fall (not that kindergarters do much research).
The irony of this news being released today is that Little Girl and I were talking tonight about the new things she learned at her pre-K program today. She was telling me about the killdeer and how it builds its nests on the ground. I asked her why it didn't build its nests in a tree and she told me she didn't know. My response? We'll look it up in the encyclopedia when we go to the library this weekend.
I guess we still can. For now.
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