If you spend much time online, reading media pundits, you might be lead to believe that books are an antiquated novelty relegated to dark, musty environs as people flee in droves to the digital world.
To be sure, the statistics are depressing: According to an August 2007 survey by Ipsos Public Affairs for The Associated Press, 27 percent of people in the United States read one book or less in the previous year, and a 2004 survey by the U.S. Department of Education states 19 percent of 17-year-olds “never or hardly ever” read for pleasure. According to ReadWriteWeb.com, the same survey reported that in 2003, “only four percent of American high school graduates who did not earn college degrees could be called ‘proficient’ readers.”
But Saturday afternoon in Columbus, both the library and Books-A-Million were crowded with people, and officials at both entities said not only are they busier than ever, the proliferation of digital options seems to be enhancing readership, bridging divides between traditional non-readers and the new, so-called “digital natives,” who have grown up with iPods and e-readers always at their fingertips.
Instead of killing interest in so-called “dead tree” media, electronic devices are inviting a literary resurgence. Now — thanks to ease and convenience — people who have never explored Faulkner’s twisted world of human frailty, beauty and misery may encounter the denizens of Yoknapatawpha County on their Kindle, then buy a paperback and swap between the two. Harry Potter fans may buy the books, watch the movies, and “like” the bespectacled hero’s Facebook page, which has more than 16 million fans.
It’s a brave new world, indeed, and on the local level, at least, people are flocking to the libraries and bookstores more than ever. Though their methodology and reasons may vary, the quest remains the same — a need for information, entertainment and connection to people, places and ideas that extend beyond county lines to global horizons.
A changing literary landscape
Casi Miller, a customer service specialist at Books-A-Million, spent Saturday afternoon fielding questions and inviting readers to join the store’s membership program. An avid reader herself, she decided to take a job at the store two years ago, and she said she’s often surprised, not only by how busy the store can be, but also by the people who line up to purchase books by the armful.
“Everybody still reads,” Miller said. “People I’d never expect to see reading a book buy books.”
When California kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard’s memoir hit the shelves a few weeks ago, the store sold out almost immediately and had to reorder. Miller read the book, too.
She said while biographies are popular, and the bestseller aisle receives heavy traffic, people read all sorts of things. Lately, a lot of students are coming in, frantically purchasing books they were supposed to read over the summer for school.
More people are expressing interest in electronic devices like the Nook and the Kindle, which allow readers to carry thousands of books in their pocket. Though Miller prefers having a physical book in her hand, she has the Nook application on her phone, and she said her 7-year-old son, John Robert Beatty, enjoys reading “Cat in the Hat” and other classics on the device.
More than declaring the death knell for reading, she sees technology as “branching out,” bridging gaps and creating a new generation of readers.
“The e-readers are making it more entertaining for kids,” Miller said. “The ones who just want to play video games can still have an electronic device in their hands, but they’re getting to read, too.”
But though she sells the Nook, and wants one herself, the New Hope graduate still prefers paper to digital consumption.
“It’s the way I grew up reading,” Miller said. “The electronic reader is good, but I still like to hold a book.”
Currently, the store is engaged in a book drive to replenish the tomes lost at Smithville High School during the April 27 tornado. Customers are encouraged to purchase favorite books in the store, bring in “gently used” books, or make a monetary donation. The store’s goal is to completely refill the school’s library by next year.
It’s important, not just on a corporate level, but to Miller as both a parent and a reader.
“Every town needs a library,” she said. “Books are the beginning. They lead to smarter kids.”
Bridging the divide
Alice Shands, director of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, said in her 35 years in the profession, she has seen libraries function as not only the guardians of the past, but also as harbingers of the future.
Years ago, people checked out books on how to write cover letters and create resumes. Now, they can access that information online, but they still come to the library, not so much to use the reference books but to use one of the branch’s 22 public access computers.
In tough economic times, with more people shedding home Internet access to save costs, it has become even more critical. There is always a waiting list, and no matter how many computers the library has, there will never be enough, Shands said.
The main branch serves more than 1,000 people per day, and a good many of those people are using the computers. Circulation is up as well. This fall, the library hopes to apply for a grant to provide e-readers for checkout.
“People want this, and they need it,” Shands said of the Kindle e-readers she hopes to acquire. “A lot of people in Columbus can’t afford a Kindle. It’s bridging the digital divide, meeting digital and print needs. We get asked for it every day.”
While recreational reading will never go away, she said local libraries are becoming more and more important for lifelong, self-directed learning and personal advancement.
Even a job at McDonald’s requires a computer, she said. The restaurant only accepts applications online, and yet, many people applying for those jobs either don’t have a computer or have little experience using one.
She and her staff of 19 — spread between the main branch and branches in Caledonia, Artesia and Crawford — do their best to help. They hold basic computer skills classes to teach people how to use a mouse and how to scroll up and down a page. They have a teen-friendly room downstairs and summer programs for children. This fall, they’re going to experiment with a book club. The first book the club will read is Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help.”
Still, as she crosses her fingers this year that city and county funding doesn’t drop, she tries to make ends meet with fewer people and more need than ever.
“We haven’t had to fire anyone, but we haven’t been able to afford to replace people because of the economy,” Shands said. “We’re doing more with less people, and technology should help you do more with less, but the truth is we’re getting more people in the library and we’re really busier and have fewer people.”
‘You can’t do anything without an education’
Tambra Leary, 25, peered at her Facebook page Saturday afternoon at the library as her son, 3-year-old Justin Tate Jr., bounced on her lap and scribbled in a notebook.
Leary dropped out of high school when she was in the 11th grade, but after getting her GED in 2005, she’s now ready to take her ACT and apply to East Mississippi Community College’s nursing program.
Because she only has sporadic Internet access at home, she came to use the library’s wireless connection to brush up on her test preparation.
“I’m sick of dead-end jobs,” Leary said. “I want something where I can take care of me and my son.”
She said she was “young and crazy” when she decided to leave school, but now she has reached a stark conclusion: “You can’t do anything without an education.”
It’s a point Cathy Fletcher, who teaches at Oak Hill Academy in West Point, tries to instill in her students.
Fletcher was at the library Saturday checking out the latest Richard Paul Evans and Janet Ev
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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Patrons use the computer hub at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library Saturday afternoon. Director Alice Shands said more than 1,000 people come to the library each day, many to use the computers. Photo by: Carmen Sisson
