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The most irritating trend in SA malls and public spaces is the amount of texting etc being done, while walking, eating and shopping.
Why would you want to be stuck with a phone/Ipad when you have your family and/or friends around you at a restaurant?
A huge guy walked over me, yes you read correctly, over me while using his cell for texting – without even an excuse me or sorry or even offering to help me up!
Getting back to reading, we will never get away from the tech explosion for our children and teens – so why not use it to our advantage.
Instead of filling libraries with books, fill them with tech devices – much like an internet café, but we must have a way of limiting use to reading only – no stupidifying killing games.
Just writing this is breaking my heart – as I love the feel, smell and look of a good old fashioned book! If we want to teach kids the gratifying process of reading books, we will have to jazz it up a bit.
Forget the library as we know it, add tech devices and update libraries to look like a space where our teens would like to hang out at.
This all sounds expensive, but instead of just opening its doors every morning, the librarians must become more like marketing execs – sell your services, do not simply sit back and wait for people to come to you – go and get them!
It is not good enough to just be, libraries will have to evolve with the communities they serve. Let’s not mourn the loss of more libraries, but let’s celebrate the start of a new kind of business.
Whatever happened to the old fashioned book exchanges? Instead of selling books, exchange them.
So it could theoretically only cost you that first book. Personally, this is my dream, to open an exchange, but also have enough space for a coffee circle where readers can meet and discuss their books – exchange clubs.
Ask local malls or shops if you can leave a cart for books to be donated for express use for teens or children – these can be taken to schools so that they can start their very own book exchanges, this way keeping their stock changing constantly!
It shocks me when I see what the texting culture has done to our spelling and diction and what has happened to manners? It remains parents’ responsibility to ensure that their kids not overdose on technology and loose themselves in the process.
What would you suggest is the best way to get our youth to read? Leave us your comment in the box below.
