Is print dying at Bethel?
With the recent emergence of virtual access to books, Bethel’s methods of reading have diversified — leaving people to wonder if something is changing for good.
By Luca Lombardi and Samantha Wurm
Freshman English and philosophy student Laura Hunt lounges in one of the chairs in the center of Bethel University’s library, kicking her black Converse high tops up on the ottoman in front of her while she reads and annotates the pages of “Basic Writings of Existentialism,” a book assigned for one of her philosophy classes.
Reading — it’s an integral part of studying at Bethel. Students can be found scattered throughout campus with books. Some are seen holding a worn, discolored, broken-spined novel that has circulated between Bethel students throughout the years. Others prop their iPads in front of them, Apple Pencil in hand, highlighting an online textbook.
As the digital age emerged, university education became integrated with technology — something that was reinforced by the virtual accommodations of the pandemic. The accessibility and cheap cost of online text versus the cumbersome and costly print book appeals to many individuals, leaving Bethel students to debate how they want to read.
Senior English student Anna Kapsner recognizes the benefits of both e-books and print. For academic purposes, the convenience and lower cost of an online textbook provide its benefits. However, for her, the aesthetic of a physical book outweighs the accessibility of virtual text.
As she holds up a bright pink paperback titled “We Ride Upon Sticks,” Kapsner can’t help but recognize her appreciation for the print copy.
“[‘We Ride Upon Sticks’] is so violently pink,” Kapsner said. “You wouldn’t necessarily get that with a digital copy.”
Kapsner hopes to publish the book she is working on someday, and despite her love for print, she recognizes the need for digital publishing as well.
“I prefer physical copies, but if somebody prefers audiobooks or digital books, I’ve got nothing against that,” Kapsner said. “Whatever works for you.”
English professor Angela Shannon Preston agrees. As the creator of The Coeval, a literary magazine with students’ works, she realizes that it needs to be published online to allow for more accessibility and to broaden the audience. But it’s not her first choice.
“There’s that physical connection, you know, that we have, and as human beings, that means something to us, to be able to touch something, to feel something.” — Angela Shannon Preston, English professor.
She compares the production of a print book to food — like an extended network of people who are involved in making a meal, many hands contribute to the production of a print book — which creates a connection between the piece of work and the reader.
“There’s that physical connection, you know, that we have, and as human beings, that means something to us, to be able to touch something, to feel something,” Preston said. “You don’t have the voice of the writer, the unspoken, but you have the voice in the book. You could pick it up and read it over and over again.”
That’s why Bethel’s collection development librarian, Rhonda Gilbraith, still foresees print editions remaining on the shelves despite the increase in e-book use. The texture of the pages being flipped between fingers, the meticulous process of a publishing house choosing a font of the text, and the artistic design of a book cover drives students to check out a physical copy.
“There are so many beautiful book covers,” Gilbraith said. “I guess you can replicate a little thumbnail of that cover [on an e-book], but it’s not the same.”
Apart from the aesthetics, students have reverted back to physical copies for the sake of learning. Kapsner, who struggles with headaches, can’t look at electronic screens for long before having to glance away. Sophomore biology student Emily Costa tends to read more print due to the temptation to get easily distracted online. She’s also frustrated by how difficult it is to navigate the nonlinear format of a digital text.
Bookstore textbook manager Dodie Woodis has worked in the bookstore for 11 years and has noticed a dramatic increase in the assignments of electronic textbooks over the past eight to 10 years. However, she’s seen this change more in the STEM departments than the humanities departments.
“You know, long gone are the days of us having a $250 biology book with courseware,” Woodis said. “It can be delivered digitally.”
As for the statistics of expenditures by book type, the numbers tell a different story. Bethel’s library has a set budget for what materials they need for the upcoming school year. The 2023 fiscal year budget covers the spending on streaming video, print journals, print books, hosting fees, e-journals, e-books and databases. Although the numbers point to a decrease in print at Bethel, many students continue to prefer paper pages.
A poll sent out to the Department of English and Journalism students revealed that, in a reading-and-writing-based pool of students, paper is preferred both leisurely and academically. With 22 respondents, the poll suggests that while students see that literature is going toward the digital world of iPads, Kindles and laptops, some students are holding onto the old-fashioned way.
