Basic Book Handling Skills

Thanks to Darlene Fichter for this discovery and hilarious video of a monk trying to adjust the latest technology of the 7th century - books.



The sad thing is that the reality of this video is actually being seen in our schools today. When Peter Gorman came and spoke to our library staff last week, I was surprised to hear him talk about the lack of basic book handling skills that many children who enter the school system lack. For some kids (especially those who may be new immigrants) books are not found in their homes, their parents have never read to them and until they enter kindergarten this form of technology has completely eluded them. And for school systems around the country this is a reality that they often deal with.

Sad isn't it? But then again that's just another reason why libraries are so important. They are often the only place that many children get there first (and perhaps only) exposure to books.